Pathos
by TheGuineapig3
Summary: Lina Inverse and her friends have finally settled down… but the dangers that plague them certainly haven't! When old enemies and dark secrets from the past emerge, they realise that getting things back to normal will be no small task... XF, LG, AZ
1. 1: A Rainy Day

(A./N: Hey, it's GP3, and I'm excited about this new story! Yay! Some of my OCs -aka, Zara and Lorelei- are featured in this story, though I think that they're sufficiently introduced so that it won't be too confusing. Things in this story have been changed a little- I tried to imagine what it would be like in the slight future for the Slayers characters (Lina is supposed to be about 23 in this…) so I hope it's not too strange. *hides from flames* I figure that some of the characters have matured a little, though I tried to keep it as in-character as I could. I am a big fan of traditional pairings- so beware of trad couples in this story! Despite any problems it might have, I hope you'll enjoy it!)

* * *

**1- A Rainy Day... **

It was almost evening in a bustling village, and the air was lively despite the chill in the weather and the overcast sky. The only person who didn't seem to be enjoying the surroundings was a particular man.

He was dressed in a dark cloak with a hood that covered his face all the way down to his golden eyes. Underneath it, he wore white pants and tall boots. The man made his way through the village inconspicuously, drawing only a few stares from small children as they walked past. It was not a village on the beaten path, but they were no stranger to visitors, especially the occasional travelling merchant. It was obvious, however, that this man was no merchant. He walked into a small store that sold food, not because he was hungry, but because he was sure that this was the place where he would get the information that he was looking for.

"How can I help you?" A middle-aged woman behind the counter asked. She was kind-looking and greeted the man with a smile. He did not return the favour.

"I was wondering if you could provide me with some information." He said sternly. "Tell me, do you know of a girl by the name of Lina Inverse?"

"Lina... Inverse...?" The woman questioned. "Um... you're talking about Lina? She's a good-looking young thing, red hair, certainly likes food..."

"That's the one." The man replied. "Tell me, what else do you know about her?"

"Well, she's a travelling merchant that passes through here a lot, since she and her family live nearby. She's gotten quite a fantastic reputation- people look forward to her visits. She's friendly, intelligent, a wonderful businesswoman, and has a great aptitude for finding unique and valuable items…"

The man didn't care so much about Lina's reputation. "Her family?" He asked.

"Oh yes. Her husband, Gourry- a very polite young man. He likes food as well."

"Ah, yes. Him." The man said knowingly. He murmured to himself. "So... she married the protector... how predictable..."

"And they have the sweetest little boy- Zara. He looks to be about four years old and just as adorable as he can be!" The woman said. This seemed to take the man by surprise.

"Lina Inverse has a son?" He gasped. His expression quickly changed to a mischievous grin. "Interesting...I could use this to my advantage…"

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you looking for them? Do you have some business with them?" The woman questioned.

"I'm sorry, but unfortunately I can't answer that. Thank you very much for your help, though." He replied, walking back out of the shop into the village. The woman watched him go.

"That was strange... I wonder what that was about..." She murmured. "Did Lina and Gourry get themselves in some sort of trouble? I hope not. They seem like such a nice family. Certainly not the kind to get themselves involved in anything dangerous..."

* * *

Not too far away from the village, there was a growing conflict between a young woman and a group of bandits. But, unlike one would expect, it was the girl who was threatening the bandits, not the other way around. The men cowered away from her in fear. Of course, this was no ordinary girl.

It was the infamous bandit killer, Lina Inverse.

"So... what do you say you guys hand over that treasure to me, and maybe I'll let you go this time." Lina grinned mischievously, holding a Fireball threateningly in her hand.

The men were no strangers to tales of Lina's ferocity. Very few bandits opposed Lina Inverse and lived to tell about it.

"W-we surrender!" One of the bandits pleaded. "Just... don't kill us! Please!"

"Yeah!" Another chimed in. "Don't hurt us!"

Lina smirked. "Well, maybe _I _won't. Say, Zara? Would _you_ like to have the honour of giving these guys a parting gift? How about your best Fireball?"

A little, brown-haired boy who appeared to be about four years old joined Lina. "Really? You want me to?" He asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Have fun." Lina said, gesturing to the bandits, who were beginning to get even more scared. If Lina Inverse had a child, it could _not_ be a good thing. And if she was really training him to be just like her, the way it appeared, then...

"_FIREBALL_!"

The bandits scattered away in fear, and were somewhat relieved to hear Lina yelling after them "...and don't come back!"

Lina turned to the boy beside her. He was looking up at the red-haired sorceress in admiration. Though he only appeared to be about four years old, the knowing look in his eyes betrayed his real age. He was actually seven years old, and his appearance was due to the fact that he was half-monster. Lina didn't care that the boy was only half human. She had taken on the boy as an apprentice/adopted son after his real parents had been killed, and he had never disappointed her.

"Lina... did I do a good job?" He asked timidly.

"Did you do a good job? What kind of question is that?" Lina exclaimed. "You _always_ do a good job!"

"Oh... well... I was just wondering..." Zara replied, avoiding eye contact with Lina. She looked down at the boy in incredulity.

"Hey now!" Lina yelled. "No apprentice of mine is going to have self-esteem issues! Come here!" She picked up Zara and spun him around dotingly. "You! Were! Wonderful!"

Zara laughed, happy to receive praise and affection from the person he most admired. Lina then dropped him, gently, but abruptly back to the ground. "Now don't make me do that again, alright? Have some confidence."

Zara nodded. "Right!"

"Yeah! I think you did a great job too!"

Zara and Lina turned around to greet the tall, blonde swordsman. Gourry smiled back at them. "Say, Lina, I've been wondering something. When are you going to stop chasing bandits and focus on your real job?"

"Idiot!" Lina yelled, whacking him with a slipper. "Chasing bandits _is _my job! The whole travelling merchant thing is just a cover-up and an excuse to travel around. You know how I get when I'm cooped up in one place for too long!"

"Yeah, I know! But our house _is _a pretty nice place... speaking of which, doesn't look like it's going to rain?" Gourry mentioned.

"And how long have you noticed this?" Lina asked.

"Um... a few minutes..."

_WHACK!_

"Come on then, let's get home before we start to get rained on. It's already pretty cold, and I want to get home as soon as possible. It's dinnertime." Lina said, gesturing for her family to follow her.

"Right! We're coming!" Gourry agreed, following after her.

"Yeah! I'll cook dinner!" Zara exclaimed. Lina grinned. Zara had taken lessons from a professional chef, so everything he cooked was practically gourmet. And best of all, Zara fed mostly on positive emotions the way a normal monster would feed off negative ones, so he never ate much anyway.

Of course, this only made Lina think of Zara's friend, Lorelei. Lorelei was Zara's best friend, although Lina hated her- she was a monster, not to mention Xellos' partner-in-crime. Because of her, Zara's normally delicious food had a bad habit of exploding at random times… and no doubt she'd be waiting for them when they got home. Locking your house was not effective when you had friends that were monsters.

Gourry and Zara were now ahead of Lina, chatting and talking to each other happily. Lina smiled at them. She had decided that Gourry and Zara were the two best things that had ever happened to her. Gourry might not have been all that bright, but he was kind and devoted, and Lina loved him more than anyone she had ever met. Zara was sweet and attached to Lina so much that they were practically inseparable, and Lina certainly couldn't be prouder of how hard he always worked. He had come such a long way from the poor, lonely child that she and Gourry had rescued from a group of thieves... could it really have been four and a half years ago? So much had happened...

Lina always seemed to be able to find something to complain about, but the truth was that she loved her life the way it was now. Sometimes she was Lina Inverse, the infamous bandit killer. Sometimes she was Lina Inverse Gabriev, the brilliant travelling merchant. And most of the time, when it was just her, Gourry, and Zara, she was just Lina. She decided that she liked being just Lina the best of all her personas. She could easily get upset and whack someone with a slipper for no apparent reason and yell at people at the top of her lungs if she wanted to- all things that she couldn't even think to do when acting as a merchant. She could also show some affection, even if it was just a little bit, to the people that she cared so much about- something that the bandit killer would never think of doing.

She felt the light sensation of rain, and looked up at the sky. It wasn't raining very hard- in fact it was more like mist than rain. All this thinking had reminded Lina of something else. She had a secret wish that everything could stay the way it was forever. Of course, this was a foolish wish. No matter how slow it was, Zara would eventually get older- and so would everyone else. Things always changed, sometimes faster than others. But she could always stay with her childish wish.

But what if something were to happen?

She didn't know how or why, but Lina suddenly felt an insane sense of foreboding. She tried to shake it off, but there was still the sense in the back of her mind that something wasn't quite right. As if on cue to Lina's thoughts, the sky decided to stop simply misting rain and dump its entire contents on them at once.

"Ack! Rain! Quickly you guys! Run!" Lina called, chasing after her family, her troubles momentarily forgotten.

"We're coming!" Gourry yelled after her as he and Zara followed.

* * *

Not far away, in a large royal palace, a young maid was rushing through the halls, intently searching for someone. "Excuse me, have you seen the prince?" She called to an older maid that had just finished one of her tasks. "The princess wanted to see him."

The older maid thought for a moment. "I haven't seen him lately, but he's often out practicing his swordfighting. Perhaps we should check the courtyard?"

"Are you kidding? It's freezing cold and pouring rain out there." The younger maid replied.

"Well... this is the prince we're talking about." The other maid responded.

"Right. Of course. I forgot."

Out in the courtyard, a young man was practicing his swordfighting against a wooden target. His moves were fast and his technique was incredible. Despite the gloomy weather, he was completely wrapped up in his training.

Though he was wearing a hooded cloak, the rain had soaked through it and was dampening his hair. The normally fair complexion of his face was flushed from the physical exertion of training, while his bare fingers that were clutching the hilt of the sword were nearly white from the cold. His sharp hearing picked out the sound of people approaching him from behind.

"Um... your highness..." The younger maid approached him warily. The prince turned around, shooting an irritated glare at the person who had interrupted his training.

"What do you want?" He asked coldly.

"Um... well... your presence has been requested-"

"Tell them I'm _busy_." He sighed, turning back to his training.

"Er... well... the princess sent me out to find you... and she said that she wouldn't take no for an answer..."

At the mention of the princess, the young man's expression softened. He sighed and put his sword down. "Fine..." he replied. "I suppose I'll go see what she wants..."

"Thank you, your highness. She will be very pleased." The older maid nodded, and the young man left the two standing in the cold rain.

"He's quite scary." The younger maid observed.

"But he's usually so polite." The older maid added. "I wonder what's wrong with him. He hasn't been this upset in quite some time."

"Well, the princess was wondering the same thing. That's the reason that she called for him. If anyone can figure out what's wrong with him, she can."

"Indeed." The older maid nodded.

* * *

"Aah! Stupid rain! I'm totally soaked!" Lina groaned as she opened the door and entered the large house.

"Me too! I never realised that rain could start up that quickly!" Gourry agreed.

"Hey you guys, welcome ba- oh wow! What the heck happened to you?" A small, pink-haired monster with large yellow wings was sitting on the couch, looking at the group peculiarly.

"Um, it's called rain and it gets you WET!" Lina fumed. Lorelei was the last person that she wanted to deal with at the moment.

"I can see that." Lorelei replied, giving Lina a look that asked 'who do you think I am, your husband?' The little monster walked over to her friend. "Oh, Zara! Are you alright?"

"Yeah! I'm fine!" Zara laughed. "It's amazing how fast a rainstorm can start up!"

"Well you're soaking wet! Here, let me get you a towel or something!" Lorelei exclaimed, running her fingers through the boy's unruly brown hair.

"_I_ was gonna do that!" Lina fumed.

"Well_ I_ volunteered first!" Lorelei shot back.

"Hey! Hey!" Gourry got between the two, breaking up a potential fight. "Zara, Lorelei, you two get dried off and go into the kitchen to start dinner, okay?"

"Okay!" Zara replied, rushing toward the kitchen with his best friend following him.

Lina had taken off her waterlogged cape and sat down on the couch, trying to dry her hair. Gourry sat down beside her with the same problem.

"I swear," she murmured. "that little monster is going to be the death of me."

"Hey," Gourry grinned, putting his on her head and messing with her hair playfully. "We've fought Dark Lords and a whole bunch of other crazy stuff. If one little monster is the worst thing we have to worry about, I'd say that we're pretty well off, wouldn't you?"

Lina laughed, throwing her arms around him. "Haven't I ever told you that it creeps me out when you're smart like that?" she asked.

"No... oh, wait. Have you? I don't remember." Gourry responded. Lina thought for a moment that he was just pretending to be clueless to humour her, but the look on his face told her that he really didn't remember.

"Oh Gourry..." she sighed, smiling and kissing him lightly on the cheek.. "Don't ever change, okay?"

"Um, okay." Gourry replied. "I wasn't really planning to...so I guess I won't..."

_BOOM! CRASH!_

"It's okay! Nothing broke!" Zara called from the kitchen.

Lina groaned and stood up. "Alright, what did you guys blow up _this time_?" She walked angrily toward the kitchen with Gourry following her. Lina never liked it when her dinner exploded on her.

* * *

Lina had been awfully quiet over dinner, and Gourry was starting to get worried about her. It was late and they were getting ready for bed, but Lina wasn't as talkative as she normally was. She didn't even respond to his funny stories.

"...and that's when I figured out that I had completely forgotten the punch line!" Gourry laughed, finishing a story that he was telling. He looked up. Lina was sitting on the bed, looking as though she was lost in thought. He sat down beside her. "Hey, Lina? What are you worried about?"

Lina looked up at him in surprise. "What do you mean? What makes you think that I'm worried about something?"

"Because," Gourry explained. "you're only this quiet to me if you're angry with me about something, or if you're worried about something. And since I'm pretty sure that you're not angry, you must be worried about something. What is it?"

Lina shook her head. Gourry's logic never ceased to amaze her. She sometimes wondered how smart he would be if his memory wasn't so terrible.

"I'm just... anxious, I guess."

"Anxious? About what?" Gourry pressed curiously.

"Well... I don't really know." She admitted. "I just have this odd feeling that something is going to happen... something really bad..."

Gourry looked at Lina with an expression of concern. "Something really bad? Okay, now you've got me worried too. Is it something like we've fought before? Something really powerful like that?"

"I don't know." Lina sighed. She fell backwards onto the bed in frustration. "I don't know what's going to happen, I just think that something is, and it's killing me!"

"Well..." Gourry said, leaning over her, smiling. "I'm not exactly sure what it is that's causing you to feel scared like this, but I think I know what could make you feel better!"

Lina sat up slightly. "And what is that?" She questioned.

"How about a nice warm cup of hot cocoa?"

Lina fell back onto the bed again, laughing. "You think hot chocolate fixes everything, don't you?"

"It helps." Gourry defended. "Come on, don't tell me you don't want any? I know that my Lina would never pass up hot chocolate!"

Lina grinned. "It does sound good right now... especially considering how cold it's gotten. Yeah, some hot chocolate would be nice."

"Got it!" Gourry leaped up. "Two hot chocolates, coming right up! I'll go make some, you just stay here and rest, okay?"

"Uh... okay." Lina replied. 'Stay here and rest?' Gourry made it sound like she was sick or something. He left, and Lina fell back onto the bed again. She felt exhausted, yet it also felt as if she would never be able to get to sleep. She had this terrible feeling that something wasn't quite right... that something was going to happen...

A flash of light outside, followed by a distant rumble of thunder alerted Lina to the weather. She got up and pressed her finger against the windowpane, recoiling slightly at the coldness of it. It was much too cold for normal thunderstorms, she thought. Although...

Something quickly caught her eye. It was in the other window- she walked around to other side of the bed and looked at it. It was a window that opened in the middle, and there was a piece of paper stuck between the two doors. Lina pulled the window open, and a blast of cold air hit her, blowing the paper into her hand. She closed the window with much difficulty, forgetting to latch it shut for the moment.

"What the heck is this? A letter of some kind?" She wondered out loud. _But who would leave a letter in our window like that instead of mailing it- not to mention that it's a _second-story_ window. I wonder..._

Lina carefully unfolded the slightly damp paper. At first, she thought that the rain had smudged the ink, but found that the handwriting was simply bunched up together, as if whoever had written it had been in quite a hurry. She didn't recognise the messy scrawl, but quickly caught on to the sender of the letter in a second.

_Miss Lina,_

_I apologise for the messy handwriting, but I do not have very much time. I'm writing this to ask you for a favour- please take care of Lorelei for me. Don't worry, the situation is hopefully only temporary. I understand that you are not very fond of her, so I do plan to pay you back for this when/if I return. Please, send my greetings to her._

_Sincerely,_

_XM_

_Xellos... _Lina thought, seeing the initials at the bottom of the paper. _'If I return? What does he mean by 'if?' Does it have anything to do with the beginning, 'I do not have much time?' _

Lina stood next to the window, reading the letter over and over. It was short and cordial, but there was an undertone of exigency to it. There was a mention of not having much time- not much time before what? It never stated. Did it mean... not much time, period? Lina shook her head. It couldn't be. Though, Xellos went on to say that the situation was 'hopefully' temporary. Only hopefully? That didn't sound very promising. And of course there was the 'when/if' statement that caught Lina's attention.

_If _he returned.

There was apparently so much uncertainty that it could be phrased as 'if.'

"Xellos... what's happening?" Lina murmured. This letter couldn't have anything to do with her premonitions, could it? It couldn't... right?

But if something was powerful enough to make Xellos fear for his life enough to ask a human to care for his young companion... Could it be the danger that Lina had sensed...?

Just then, a large clap of thunder sounded as lightning flashed overhead. A gust of wind burst through the unlatched window, bringing a gush of frigid rain in onto the sorceress who was knocked over from the force of the wind. Weakly, she rose and somehow managed to push the window shut again.

Lina had been slightly upset before, but being freezing and soaked, clutching the drenched letter that was staining her hands with ink was the final straw. She collapsed onto the now wet carpet beside the weather, shaking from the cold, and from fear.

"Hey Lina~!" Gourry chimed as he opened the door. "I brought the hot choc- LINA!" He gasped and nearly dropped the tray he was carrying. Placing it on the desk quickly, he rushed over to where Lina was sitting, looking frightened and miserable. "L-Lina! What in the world happened?"

"Gourry..." She murmured. "We've lived here for how long? Almost two years? And I haven't realised until now that if you don't latch the windows, they'll open by themselves..." She collapsed in his arms, still trembling.

"Lina..." he gasped, sensing that there was much more wrong than just being wet from opening the window. "You... uh, you should probably get dried off..." He got up, placing her carefully on the bed. "I'll get you a towel."

"I can get it-"

"No, Lina. You can stay right there. Drink your hot chocolate- hopefully it'll warm you up." Gourry instructed. Lina simply nodded. The only time he was ever that stern with her was when he was concerned for her safety- even in trivial situations such as an occasional illness. She didn't mind it that much. It showed how much he cared about her, and that made her happy. But now all she could think about was how worried she was. If Xellos was in danger, then she could be in danger... or Zara... or Gourry...

"Lina? I told you to drink your hot chocolate. If you don't it'll get cold and then it won't be hot chocolate anymore. It'll be... just chocolate..." Gourry said, good-naturedly, in an attempt to raise her dampened spirits- literally. He placed a towel around her shoulders and sat next to her with his own cup of cocoa.

Lina wasn't really in the mood for anything edible, but she knew that it would make Gourry happy and acquiesced. In just a few seconds, she did feel warmer, especially when Gourry put his arm around her comfortingly. "Feel better now?" He asked.

"Just... a bit..." She murmured.

"So, tell me what's got you down. It can't just be the rain." Gourry said after a few minutes.

Lina sighed, knowing that it was useless to keep these kinds of secrets from Gourry. "I... got a letter." She replied.

"A letter? From who?"

"Uh... from Xellos."

"Xellos, huh?" Gourry asked, frowning slightly. If he hadn't been so sure of the monster's infatuation with a certain dragon, he might have been slightly concerned about Xellos sending letters to Lina. "What did he want?"

"Oh, just the usual. To get us all riled up." Lina replied. "He also asked if we could look after Lorelei for a while."

"But you _hate_ Lorelei." Gourry pointed out.

"I know, and Xellos knows it too. But he did say that he'd pay me back when, or if, he returns."

"If?" Gourry asked, pointing out the piece of information that Lina knew he would notice.

"Yeah, he said 'if.' He also said that he didn't have much time, whatever that means..." Lina said, a look of concern spreading over her face.

"You're not worried about him, are you?" Gourry asked.

"What, about Xellos? He can take care of himself! You know I don't give a darn for that stupid monster!" Lina spat. "Especially when he thinks that he can just come and dump that kid of his here at our house! I don't care how close she and Zara are-"

"Then what's bothering you?" Gourry interrupted.

"I'm just worried about the same thing I was worried about before..." Lina said. "Only now there's more credibility. After all, what could threaten Xellos so much that he'd doubt his own ability to return unharmed?" Lina was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out why this upset her so much. "I... I guess I'm just really scared. I've fought Dark Lords and who-knows-what-else before, but I guess... now I'm so happy with things the way they are... oh Gourry! I don't want anything bad to happen! But I feel so stupid for being so scared! I mean, I'm Lina Inverse the bandit killer, after all!"

"Yeah, that's true." Gourry said, pulling Lina closer to him with his arms around her. "But you're also just Lina. And Lina can be as scared as she wants to be."

Lina hadn't realised how tired she really was until she began to drift to sleep in Gourry's arms. "Thank you." She whispered. Maybe all this worrying was over nothing.

Then again, maybe it wasn't.

* * *

(A/N: So, what do you think? Like? Hate? Think it's too OOC? Your comments would be greatly appreciated! My previous stories have been very sporadically updated, so I have decided to attempt a schedule, sort of. I'm going to try updating on Fridays, to see how that works out.)


	2. 2: Impending Danger?

(A/N: Hello again! I'm back sooner than expected- I meant to say Tuesdays as well. Fridays and possibly Tuesdays if I get a lot done or am just impatient. *laugh* Anyway, here's chapter two. Warning: There is some violence at the end- just to let you know in advance.

I don't own anything regarding Slayers, I just like to write fanfiction in my spare time... :3)

* * *

**2- Impending Danger?**

A young man made his way down the halls of a palace, his dishevelled appearance clashing with his surroundings. He was completely soaked from the rain, and his boots made a squeaking sounds as he walked over the tile floor. His face was set in a serious, apprehensive expression, and if anyone had passed by him at that moment, they wouldn't have dared to even speak to him.

Even if they hadn't known that he was part also part demon.

At the moment, the chimera was seething unhappiness at having his sword practice interrupted. He was directing his anger at the maids, though he had to remind himself that they were not the source of the problem. They had been sent by someone else- however, that someone else was a person that he could never be mad at.

The prince came to a familiar door, and knocked slightly as he opened it. "...You... wanted to see me?" He asked. For some reason, he expected to be welcomed violently into the room, but all he saw was the familiar form of a girl sitting on the large bed. She looked up at him, showing no emotion in her azure gaze.

"How's the weather?" She asked simply.

"Cold. Wet. Not that it really matters, though." He replied, entering the room and closing the door behind him.

"Not that it matters, huh?" She murmured in reply. The young man walked closer to the bed, and she saw her chance. Jumping up and using the bed as a spring, she tackled him and pinned him to the ground. He looked up at her in surprise, but she began speaking before he could protest.

"WHAT on earth were you thinking? Look at you! For heaven's sake, you're freezing cold and soaking wet! If you keep this up, then you'll catch your death of a cold! Don't you think that I worry about you when you do these things? This kind of behaviour does not benefit anyone! It's completely UNJUST!"

She grabbed a handful of his lavender hair and jerked him upward with her, forcing him to stand up. "Ow! OW~! Amelia! Ow! That's my hair-" The princess let go, and he recoiled, clutching his head painfully. "Sorry." He murmured, looking at her apologetically.

"You should be." She said, returning his gaze with an accusing look. "Honestly, does it really take more than two years for you to realise that your skin isn't made of rock anymore? You can't just stay out in the freezing cold for hours at a time. "

"Th-that's really not the problem." Zelgadis sighed, straightening out his hair again.

"Than what _is_ the problem? You're going to get yourself sick. I think you have a fever already." Amelia said, reaching up in an attempt to put her hand on Zel's forehead. He shoved her hand away.

"I don't have a fever, Amelia." He defended, sitting down on a corner of the bed. Amelia moved next to him.

"How do I know that if you won't let me take your temperature?" She asked.

"Just... forget about that, alright? I'm fine. I'm just worried..." He replied. She was reaching for his forehead again, but instead of swatting her away, he grabbed her hand and held it tightly instead.

"Worried? About what? Surely it can't be me?" Amelia asked.

"I'm... not sure. I just have this bad feeling... like something dangerous is coming... and, well... I guess I'm worried about us- about you. I don't want anything to happen to you, so I'm training hard to make sure that I can protect you if I need to..." He sighed.

Amelia gave him a sympathetic look. "I see. So you're worried. Well, now you know how I feel about you." She paused for a moment, glancing out the window at the falling rain. "Do you think we should write to Miss Lina and Mister Gourry?"

"That would probably be a good idea." Zelgadis replied, nodding. "They'd certainly know what to do."

"Right. I'll send someone to contact them right away. Meanwhile, can you please try to stay out of the cold?" Amelia requested.

"I suppose." He responded.

"Good." Amelia said, reaching up and kissing him on the forehead. Zelgadis blushed, smiling at her. He expected a smile in return, but instead she tackled him angrily again.

"I KNEW it! You DO have a fever! In bed with you right now!" She ordered.

"Wh-what? Amelia! That wasn't nice!" Zelgadis protested, angry that she had tricked him like that.

"It's your own fault for getting yourself sick!" Amelia said. "Now please, get some warm clothes on and get some rest. I'll see if I can get you some soup or something. And don't even_ think_ about leaving this room, or you'll be sorry!"

"O-okay." Zelgadis sighed. _Dang it, why does she have to get so worked up over a little fever? It's no big deal... _However, he remembered a time when Amelia had been sick, and realised that he probably acted the same way.

_My intuition about these things hasn't been wrong before...something is definitely wrong…_ _I sure hope Lina and Gourry have some idea of how to handle this..._

* * *

When Gourry woke up the next morning, the first thing he did was make sure that Lina was alright. She'd been acting so strange the night before, and it bothered him. He panicked momentarily when he saw that she was in the exact same position that she had fallen asleep in (Lina wasn't exactly the most peaceful sleeper.) But he put his hand on her shoulder and could feel her deep, even breathing. Gourry placed his hand over her forehead, making sure that she didn't have a fever, and when he was sure that her body temperature was normal, he decided to get up and wake her up the way he did every morning.

Gourry got up and threw open the curtains on either side of the bed allowing the sunlight to stream in. The windows in Lina and Gourry's room faced east, so they could always be woken up by the rising sun- that is, if they didn't have the curtains pulled.

Gourry waited for Lina to respond with her usual 'Close the stupid curtains you incompetent jellyfish-brain! Some people are trying to sleep!,' but she didn't. She stayed where she was, not even noticing the overabundance of light.

"Lina? Hey, Lina, wake up." Gourry said, gently shaking the sorceress.

"Nnnnnn... Gourry?" she murmured softly. "Give me... just five more minutes..."

"Uh, alright." Gourry replied, closing the curtains again and staring at Lina with a concerned expression. He would give her all the time she needed.

* * *

"Good morning, Gourry!" Zara greeted the swordsman happily as he made his way down the stairs into the living room. Zara and Lorelei were seated around the coffee table, playing cards.

"G'morning, jellyfish!" Lorelei grinned, waving to Gourry. She normally acted pleasant to Gourry- it was Lina that she couldn't stand.

"How many times has Lina told you that only _she_ can call me that?" Gourry responded, laughing.

"And how many times do I actually listen to what that useless sorceress says?" Lorelei replied nonchalantly.

"You'd better watch what you say about Lina." Zara warned. "Gourry'll take away your talking privileges and make you sit in silence on the couch."

"Oh, I'm so afraid." Lorelei said sarcastically, laying another card down on the table.

"You guys are certainly up early. What time did you wake up?" Gourry asked, sitting down on the couch.

Zara and Lorelei exchanged a glance. "Uh... we were supposed to go to sleep?" Zara asked with his most innocent face.

"We _are_ monsters, after all." Lorelei defended.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense..." Gourry sighed.

"Say, where is Lina anyway? I hardly ever see the two of you apart from each other like this. You're always so... clingy." Lorelei pointed out.

"Lina's still in bed. I don't think she's feeling very good this morning." Gourry replied.

"Oh, is she sick?" Zara asked, his jade eyes clouded in worry.

"Nah, she's just... well, I couldn't get her out of bed this morning... and she just wasn't her normal self..." Gourry replied. "She didn't have a fever or anything, so she's not sick...but..."

"Maybe she's just stressed out over something. I hear that anxiety can put strain on the immune system and cause cold-like symptoms." Zara commented.

Lorelei didn't even look up from her card game. "Do you think she's pregnant?"

"No! That's not- I don't..." Gourry shook his head. "You know what, you _have_ lost your talking privileges. Come sit over here and keep your mouth shut."

"What did I say?" Lorelei groaned unhappily. Zara just sighed with his head down on the table.

"Should I make some breakfast...?" Zara asked.

"That sounds good." Gourry said. I'm sure that Lina is going to be hungry when she finally gets up."

Lorelei smirked. "Not if-"

"You can't talk! Remember?" Gourry said, silencing her.

Lorelei huffed, crossing her arms and putting on a pouting face. "No fair."

"No talking." Gourry corrected.

"What do you want on your waffles?" Zara called from the kitchen.

"Put maple syrup and whipped cream on them!" Gourry called back.

"I want chocolate!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"What part of 'your talking privileges have been taken away' don't you understand?" Gourry sighed.

"You're not the boss of me~!" Lorelei teased.

"Honestly..." Gourry said, shaking his head sadly.

* * *

Lina walked down the stairs, still feeling slightly dizzy. She clutched the piece of paper in her hand. The rain from the previous night had made the text completely illegible, though it had already been half-there to begin with. Lina was still bothered by the problem at hand- if Xellos was in trouble, then they could all be in trouble as well.

She peeked into the kitchen where Gourry, Zara, and Lorelei were eating breakfast. "Hey, what's the big deal, jellyfish-brain? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Gourry dropped his fork. "Lina! Oh, you finally got up! I did wake you up earlier, but you told me that you wanted five more minutes, so..."

"Huh? I did? I don't remember." Lina replied.

"Five minutes? How long has it actually been?" Lorelei glanced at the clock. "More like thirty minutes."

"Oh, who asked you?" Lina growled.

"Anyway, Lina, do you want some breakfast?" Gourry asked.

Lina thought for a moment. "Well... I'm really not that hungry... so..." Her voice trailed off.

Gourry, Zara, and Lorelei stared at Lina in wide-eyed incredulity.

"...what?" She asked.

"Lina? Are you sure you're okay?" Zara asked.

"Are you feeling alright? You sure that you don't have a fever? Should we call a doctor?" Gourry questioned.

"Told you~!" Lorelei teased.

"Told them what?" Lina asked, beginning to get annoyed with the little monster.

"That you-"

"Talking privileges. Remember?" Gourry interrupted.

"But I've been talking all through breakfast!" Lorelei whined.

"Yeah, but now you're ticking me off again." Gourry defended.

"Ticking _Gourry_ off? Wow, I knew you were annoying, but not_ that_ annoying." Lina replied. "We should have taken away her talking privileges a long time ago."

"Shut up!" Lorelei fumed. "You guys aren't in charge of me!"

Lina lifted the paper in her hand, smirking at her newfound authority over the little monster. "Actually, according to Xellos, I _am_ in charge of you. So there."

"What? Xellos?" Lorelei dropped her food and rushed to Lina's side. "What do you mean?"

"Well... I got a letter from Xellos last night, and-"

"A letter? FROM XELLOS?" Lorelei was overenthusiastic, her eyes sparkling expectantly. Lina inwardly cringed. She hated the thought of informing the little monster of what she had learned from Xellos. Xellos was always affectionate to her, but he considered Lorelei to be simply an apprentice and companion. However, to Lorelei, Xellos was a hero, a father, a mentor, and the all-around expert on everything there was to know about everything. He was the person that she adored and looked up to most in the entire world. She would be devastated to hear that he was not going to be coming back soon...

"Um... Xellos said that he wanted us to look after you for a while until he comes back..." Lina murmured.

Lorelei's face fell. "Until... until he comes back...? When is he coming back?"

"I don't know- er, well, he doesn't know. He only told me that he'd pay me back for it when... _or if_... he came back."

"If...?" Lorelei shrank back in horror. "If? Wh-what does he mean by 'if?"

Lina tried to comfort the small monster. "Oh, I'm sure that he doesn't mean anything by it! You know Xellos! Funny, _funny _Xellos! Always trying to get people riled up! Right?" She laughed.

Lorelei wiped away the tears that were threatening in the corners of her eyes. "R-right..." She murmured.

"Good." Lina nodded, deciding that she was hungry after all, now that she was less worried. She turned back to Gourry and Zara. "Say, I think I changed my mind about breakfast. Do you think you could spare a waffle or... fifteen...?"

Gourry grinned. "Sure thing, Lina!"

He noticed happily that Lina seemed to be getting back to normal. True, the Lina he knew would probably take _twenty _waffles... but she was getting there.

* * *

It was still rainy most of the morning and early afternoon, so the family stayed inside and played games. Lorelei and Zara had made up their own card game and taught it to Lina and Gourry, and when they finally got bored of that, Lina decided to teach Gourry how to play chess instead.

Zara started thinking about dinner. "I don't think we have everything we need for dinner."He said thoughtfully. "Should I run an errand to the village and get some more food?"

"That sounds good." Lina replied, still wrapped up in her chess game. "Gourry, you can't move there. That's a pawn, not a rook."

"How am I supposed to tell these things apart?" Gourry complained. "It's so confusing."

Zara was getting a warm cloak on and making a list of everything he needed to buy. "Okay!" He called. "I'll be back by six-o'-clock at the latest!"

"Cool!" Lina replied, waving to him as he left.

Lorelei sighed, watching him go with a lovesick expression on her face. "He's so mature and responsible." She murmured. "Say, Lina and Gourry, why aren't you guys doing this?"

"Zara's fine on his own." Lina replied. "It's not like he's going to get in any trouble."

"No, I mean, don't you think it's weird for the child to be the one cooking all the meals and running errands instead of the parents?" Lorelei corrected.

"Since when did monsters take an interest in domestic responsibility?" Lina asked, annoyed.

"Never. I was just thinking." Lorelei replied. She stood up. "You know what? I think I might follow Zara. Who knows? He might need my help."

"Fine, fine. Just makes sure that you don't show your wings when you're in the village. The humans around here aren't used to seeing monsters." Lina advised.

"Cool! See you guys later!" Lorelei said, rushing out the door herself. Lina and Gourry watched her go, and then turned their attention back to each other.

"She's finally gone... that little brat..." Lina sighed.

"Right. And now we have the whole place to ourselves." Gourry agreed, grinning.

"You're right, we certainly do." Lina smiled. "Ah... but you still can't move your bishop there. It can only move diagonally, remember?"

"Darn it, I keep forgetting!" Gourry exclaimed, and they both laughed.

* * *

Zara walked along happily despite the cold and the rain, which had slowed to a drizzle at the moment. He wasn't bothered by the cold as much as a normal human since he was half-monster, but he wore a heavy cloak anyway so that the nice people in the town wouldn't get upset over his lack of warm clothing. If he wanted to appear to be a human, he had to dress the part as well.

Zara was humming a song that Lina had taught him in a small, slightly monotone voice- as much as he loved listening to music, the boy never had much aptitude for singing. However, the sounds of footsteps splashing in a puddle behind him caught his attention. Zara turned around to see a man standing behind him- one he didn't recognise and had never seen before. Ignoring the red alerts that were passing through his mind, he decided to be helpful.

"Hi there." Zara said, smiling. "Are you lost? I haven't seen you around before." He noticed the man's attire- it would have been fine for a warm, summer's day, but it was not made for cold or wet weather. "Aren't you cold?"

The man smiled in a way that unnerved Zara. "Oh, I assure that I'm not cold, and I'm certainly not lost. You are, after all, Zara Gabriev, correct? Lina Inverse's boy?"

Zara calmed down a bit when he heard the man mention his parents. "Yeah, that's me. You know Lina?"

"I know her well." The man nodded. "But I haven't become acquainted with you, yet. Pity that I won't have the chance."

Zara was about to ask him what he meant by that, but the man made his point very clear when he pulled out a sword and struck at the little boy, slashing him across the chest. Zara was pushed backwards, clutching the front of his cloak- he tried to scream and realised that he couldn't.

The man examined the boy for a moment, wondering whether the heavy clothing had hindered his goal. But he grinned as he saw the red stains quickly spreading across the boy's shirt and cloak. The child was already fighting for consciousness- and the man decided to finish the job quickly.

"This is for _you_, Lina Inverse." He smirked.

* * *

(A/N: Bad villain! Taking your aggression out on a poor, defenceless child! Bad, bad! Anyway, this is going to be addressed later in the story, but just to avoid confusion, Zel is still _technically _a chimera, however he's only human and demon, so he looks like a normal human… hope it's not confusing or anything! *sweatdrop*)


	3. 3: Attack and Repercussions

Haha, I stayed up late enought that it is technically Friday now... ^.^ I had a bit of trouble with this chapter, so I hope it's okay. I'm not a doctor myself, so... Not only am I not a doctor, but I do not own Slayers either. Darn it. Anyway, back to the story. :3

* * *

**3- Attack and Repercussions **

The man watched as Zara struggled to remain conscious. He was no stranger to killing humans, and found it interesting to observe. He reached out toward the boy- his large hand fit easily around the child's neck.

Zara was trying to say something, but the man's hand around his throat made it impossible for him to breathe, much less speak. The monster that held the little boy could feel the pain and terror coming from the child in his grasp, and he smiled at it.

"I would have expected much more of a struggle from someone who is supposed to be the son of the infamous Lina Inverse." The man criticised. "How very boring. You're not putting up much of a fight at all. But I suppose that I was expecting a bit much from someone who is so very young."

The man could feel Zara's struggle against his grip becoming weaker and weaker as the boy began to lose consciousness. He waited until he was sure that the child was unconscious, and let go of him, the boy dropping lifelessly to the ground, the stains on his shirt and cloak colouring the grass a deep crimson.

"That was simple." The man said. "I'd love to wait around to see Lina Inverse's reaction when she finds him like this, but unfortunately, time is of the essence at the moment, and I don't have any to spare- my superior would be quite unhappy with me if I were to return late. Farewell, then, my little friend." The man grinned contentedly and disappeared, leaving an unconscious, but still alive, Zara behind.

* * *

"Zara? Hey! Are you around here?" Lorelei called. "I know I sensed a monster around here that wasn't Zara or Xellos or even anyone that I recognise. This spells trouble." She murmured to herself. She began calling to her friend again, still searching for him. "Zara? Zara! Za-"

Lorelei stopped dead, staring in absolute horror. She was a monster, having fought beside Xellos, and had killed others before without a second thought, leaving them to die a brutal mess. She had seen people killed in cold blood before, and never thought much of it. But never before in her short (300 years is short for a monster) life had the person in question ever been someone close to her.

Much less her best friend.

"Zara! ZARA? Wake up! Can you hear me? Zara!" Lorelei yelled, grabbing the boy by the shoulder, wondering whether or not she should attempt to move him. Her first thought was _My gosh, there's so much blood... _

Lorelei pulled on his shoulder enough so that he was sitting upright and she could get a better look at him. _That wound seems pretty bad, and I don't like the looks of those bruises on his neck either._ She thought. She pressed her hand against his chest and could feel a slight, laboured rise and fall. _He's still breathing. _She sighed. _Thank goodness he's still breathing. But his life force is so weak… if he were fully human, he would be dead by now…_

That thought brought her back to the horrible realisation that he _would _die if she didn't do something quickly. As a monster, Lorelei didn't know any spells that could be used to heal humans, and she had no medical experience whatsoever. _I can't take him back to his house. It's too far away and that would involve teleporting him, which I'm not so sure is a good thing. That village that Lina was talking about is right nearby. There must be a healer there that can help._

Lorelei picked up Zara carefully. She was staining her own clothing in the process, but it did not matter to her. She'd gotten blood on her clothing before- many times actually. But this was the first time that it belonged to someone that she hadn't killed herself. Rushing as fast as she could toward the village, Lorelei prayed that she wasn't too late.

* * *

The healer who lived at the village was having a rather slow day, and had just settled down with a cup of coffee when there was a knock at the door. Her assistant stood up in response, but she waved the girl aside. "I'll get it." She said.

The healer wasn't sure what she should expect, but she was taken absolutely by surprise. There was a young girl who looked as if she was only six or seven years old with bright pink hair and deep crimson eyes, carrying a brown-haired boy who looked to be only about four. The boy was unconscious, and both of them were covered in blood. She opened her mouth to say something, but could not find the words.

"Please, miss." The pink-haired girl begged. "You've got to help him! He's my best friend and he's hurt really bad!"

"I…" The woman began. "I'll do what I can. It looks serious. Is he still breathing?"

"I think so." Lorelei replied, reluctantly allowing the woman to take Zara from her arms. The healer found a bed to put the boy on for the moment so that she could examine him. "What happened to him?" She asked. If she knew how this had happened, she could better figure out what to do about it.

"I don't know!" Lorelei sobbed. "I found him like this!"

That wasn't a good thing, the healer thought to herself. If that was the case, then they also had no idea how long he had been like this. She quickly turned back to her observations.

"I need to examine this wound on his chest. It looks like it has stopped bleeding, but only because of his clothes. That means there's a good chance that it could get infected if we don't do something fast. Can you get my assistant?"

"R-right!" Lorelei replied, not wanting to feel useless. She found the young woman in the next room, blissfully unaware of the situation. "Hey!" She called.

The assistant turned, and was obviously surprised to see a little girl, her clothes stained with blood. "My goodness, are you hurt?" She gasped.

"Not me, you idiot! My friend! He needs your help!" Lorelei hissed.

As the healer worked on Zara, she asked Lorelei to tell her exactly what had happened. "Well, he was running an errand for his parents, and I decided to go with him. He'd already left, and so I tried to find him. He hadn't been gone very long when I found him, so whatever happened, it happened recently, and very fast."

"I see…" The woman replied. "What about his parents? Lina and Gourry, correct? Do they know about this?"

"No… I don't think they do." Lorelei replied. "Oh crap! Lina and Gourry don't know!"

"That's not good. I'm just afraid that, in this condition…" The healer murmured. She turned to her assistant. "Do you know where the Gabrievs live? If not, I'm sure that she can give you directions." The woman gestured toward Lorelei. "I'd like to have them here as fast as possible. I'm afraid that…"

"What do you mean?" Lorelei gasped. "Zara's not going to die, or anything! I know he's not! Zara's too strong for that!"

"I understand that he must be a rather strong child- he certainly must be to have survived this long. But I'm afraid that, if his condition doesn't improve soon, then…" The healer explained, and the sympathetic look in her eyes filled Lorelei with resent.

_How dare she talk about my best friend that way? _Lorelei fumed. _She's just a human, and she's treating him like just a human! But he's part monster! There's no way that anything could happen to him! _The healer was talking to the assistant, so Lorelei took the chance to lean down to Zara and whisper in his ear. "I know you can hear me, Zara. You're alright! They don't think so, but I know so. Because you are a monster, after all. And monsters can survive through anything!"

"Ma'am," The assistant was asking. "What… do I tell them?"

"You simply tell them that Zara is in our care, and that they should come to the village as soon as possible." The healer replied.

"What if… they ask about his condition? What should I say…? Is there anything good that I can report?"

"Well… his condition doesn't seem to be deteriorating _at the moment_…" The healer replied.

"Right. I'll get them here right away!" The assistant replied, rushing out of the building. The healer turned her attention back to the little boy in her care.

"Now, let's see what we can do…"

* * *

"Okay, Lina, I think I've got it." Gourry said. "The horse-thing-"

"Knight." Lina corrected.

"Okay, knight, moves like this." He corrected, moving the piece across the board in the correct configuration.

"Great job! That's right!" Lina congratulated. "Ah, but that move also allows me to take out your knight with my rook." She slid the chess piece across the board, knocking over Gourry's piece and taking it for herself.

"Darn it! I keep missing that!" Gourry sighed.

"Anyway, I'm just glad to get Lorelei out of the house for a while. Xellos better come back soon- I don't think I can take too much of her. She's such a pain." Lina complained as they continued their game.

"Kids really are a hassle, huh?" Gourry replied.

"Tell me about it." Lina agreed.

"I know for sure that I'd have a hard time with a kid who was anything like I was when I was little…" Gourry continued.

"Really?" Lina asked curiously. "I always imagined that you were a good kid."

"No way!" He laughed. "Everyone always told me I was too curious- I got into anything and everything, and ended up breaking a lot of stuff because of it. Oh, and food was a problem too. I ate everything that I could find, and it was practically impossible to hide in our house…"

Lina laughed as well. "That's incredible! Sounds like you really were a pain!"

"Yeah. I got into a lot of trouble for it, though…" Gourry said, his voice trailing off. He looked as if he was remembering a memory that was painful. Lina grabbed his hand to snap him out of it.

"Hey, that's nothing compared to what I did when I was little!" She said comfortingly.

"Oh really?" He asked, forgetting his previous troubles. "Like what?"

"Well… I used to get a real kick out of messing with old family pictures- I'd cut the heads off people and paste them back on the wrong bodies! Oh, and once I learned a bit of magic, I enjoyed setting things on fire and watching them slowly burn and disintegrate…"

"It sounds like you were a very _disturbed_ child, Lina." Gourry commented.

"Hey!" Lina grabbed one of the chess pieces that she had captured from Gourry and threw it at him.

"Ow! There should be a rule against that! Penalty!" Gourry complained.

"There's no penalty- you deserved that!" Lina declared, laughing. "Anyway, go ahead. It's your turn."

Gourry examined the chess board for a moment, and his eyes lit up. "Checkmate." He said, moving his piece close to Lina's.

"W-wait, what? That can't be!" Lina gasped, standing up. "Impossible!" Sure enough, Gourry had managed to trap her while she was distracted. "I can't believe that. How could you possibly win?" She sulked, sitting back down again.

"I got lucky." Gourry defended- it was the truth. "I seriously didn't see that until just now! …_And_ I had an amazing teacher."

Lina sighed. "Oh Gourry… you always know the right thing to say." She smiled at him and he returned the smile, glad that the conversation had taken a friendly turn.

Lina stood up, feeling a bit better. "Speaking of kids, where is Zara? I'm starving!"

"Didn't he say he'd be back by six-o'-clock?" Gourry asked. "What time is it?"

Lina looked up at the clock. "Seven-thirty." She replied. "I wonder what's taking him so long."

"I don't know…" Gourry said. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Oh, maybe that's him now!"

"Not likely." Lina replied. "It's his house- he doesn't normally knock. And if he's with Lorelei… well, you know she _never _knocks. I wonder…" Lina didn't have a very good feeling about this, but she went to open the door anyway.

Waiting behind the door was a young woman with blonde hair, who looked quite troubled. "Uh… can I help you..?" Lina asked.

"You…" The woman appeared to be out of breath. "You're Zara's parents, right?"

"Uh… right…" Lina replied warily. She already didn't like the turn that this conversation was taking.

"Um, well… I'm the assistant to the healer in the village… and she sent me to inform you that she has your son in her care…" The woman stammered.

"What? She has Zara? What happened? Did he trip and fall or something?" Lina asked.

Um, as far as we can tell… he was attacked…" The woman replied.

"Attacked?" Lina asked, trying not to panic. "Attacked by what?"

"We don't know. The girl that brought him to us- uh, Lorelei, I think it was… she said that she found him injured and didn't know who did it…"

"Is he… okay?" Gourry asked.

"Um…" The woman seemed reluctant to answer, which only worried Lina and Gourry more. "His condition hadn't begun to deteriorate when I left… but the healer wanted you to come as soon as possible…"

Lina fought the urge to panic again, and rushed outside. "Well, don't just stand there! Come on!" She yelled. "As soon as possible means _now_, right?"

"Lina, don't you need a jacket or something?" Gourry called.  
"I'm not cold! Lina shot back. "And anyway, we have to hurry. I'd Ray Wing us there, but I can't carry the two of you..."

"Well then, you go on ahead, and we'll catch up" Gourry replied. "It's alright."

Lina smiled weakly, feeling slightly encouraged by Gourry's calm demeanour. "Thanks…" She murmured, and cast a Ray Wing spell, heading for the village.

* * *

The village's healer was not as optimistic as Lorelei was about Zara recovering. They tried to figure out what had happened to him. "Do you think it could have been an animal that attacked him and left that scar?" Lorelei asked, tugging on the sleeve of the green shirt that Zara had been given in place of his stained brown one.

"Not likely. That's a very clean wound- I'd say it was most likely a weapon, such as a sword or a knife." The woman replied.

"You mean he was attacked by a person?" Lorelei gasped. She didn't say 'human' because she knew better. If someone had injured Zara this way, it must have been a monster.

"Yes, I'm assuming so. After all, those bruises on his neck are the kind of bruises that are made by a person's hands."

"Y-you mean… they tried to strangle him?" Lorelei gasped, trying not to let that picture come into her mind. She had strangled people before, and it was not a fun way to die…

"I'm afraid that he might be running a fever as well." The healer continued. "I think I'll get some ice, if that is alright. Can you stay here with him for a few moments?"

"Of course!" Lorelei replied, not prepared to leave Zara's side for anything.

The healer hadn't really expected Zara to regain consciousness so quickly, if at all, but she was taken by surprise to return to the room seeing Lorelei and Zara talking to each other.

"Hi." Zara waved feebly. "Lorelei says that you helped me out. Thanks a bunch."

"A-amazing…" the healer murmured. "I never expected him to wake up so quickly!"

"I told you he was tough." Lorelei replied.

"I can see that…" The woman replied. She decided to attempt to see if there was any brain damage that might have been caused by his injuries. She showed the boy her outstretched palm. "Zara, how many fingers am I holding up?" She asked. It was a simple question, but the boy seemed to be having trouble with it, which worried her.

"Uh… four…?" He answered, sounding unsure, and the healer looked at him in concern. "…unless you count the thumb. Do you count it? Lina always does, but Lorelei doesn't, so I can never tell…"

The healer forgot her worries. He was more than competent.

"Can you tell us what happened?" The healer asked. "How did you get hurt like this?"

"Uh… I don't really know." He replied. "I remember beginning an errand for Lina and Gourry… and then… I guess it's kind of blurry… and then I was here."

"So you can't remember?" The woman asked.

"What is it they say? Like father like son?" Lorelei muttered.

"I get the feeling that you've subconsciously repressed these memories." The healer said.

"Really? But why?" Zara asked.

"I suppose it's because they must be rather… violent." She replied. Suddenly, the group heard the door being opened.

"HEY! ZARA? LORELEI? SOMEBODY HERE?" an easily recognisable voice called. Zara sat up even taller.

"Lina!" He called out. "Hey, Lina! We're in here!"

The look of relief on the sorceress' face was apparent when she entered the room. "Zara!" She gasped, running up to the boy and grabbing him, careful to make sure she didn't hurt him in the process. "My gosh, you're going to give someone a heart attack by pulling these stunts, you know that?" Zara wrapped his arms even tighter around her, and Lina felt her worries subsiding. "You had us worried sick about you…" She murmured, stroking his unruly hair. "What in the world happened to you?"

"I don't know." Zara replied.

"It seems that his mind has suppressed the memories." The healer explained. "But we believe that he was attacked by someone, judging by the sword wound on his chest and the bruises on his neck."

"Sword wound…?" Lina asked. She had noticed with dismay the bruises on Zara's neck, but wasn't sure what other problems he might have. A glance at Lorelei's clothes gave her a hint. After all, that blood couldn't possible belong to the little monster. "Yikes…" She said. "But… you're okay now, right?"

"Yeah, of course!" Zara said, putting on his best smile.

"And you know what this means, right?" Lina asked.

"No more running errands?" Zara questioned innocently.

"That's for sure." Lina replied, still feeling uneasy about what had happened.

* * *

That night, they got a message from Seyruun- Princess Amelia requested that they visit, hopefully sometime in the near future.

"I think Amelia and Zel can sense that something's not quite right too." Lina observed.

"Should we leave for Seyruun? After all, they did say that they hoped we could come soon." Gourry said.

"I don't think Zara is in any condition to travel right now." Lina said. "Maybe we should try to get a good night's sleep, and then see how he's feeling in the morning."

"I guess that's a good idea." Gourry agreed, glancing down the hallway toward Zara's bedroom where the boy was already fast asleep.. "I just wish we knew who it was that attacked him. If it's someone we know… or someone especially dangerous…"

"We need to keep a close eye on Zara," Lina said. "Lorelei too, since Xellos asked us. It's obvious that whoever was after Zara was trying to kill him. When they find out that they failed, they'll probably be back."

"That's not good." Gourry replied. "You know, I just realised something…"

"What's that?" Lina asked.

"We completely forgot about dinner."

Lina paused for a moment. "That's true…" She said. "But… I don't have much of an appetite right now…"

"Me neither." Gourry agreed.

Lorelei listened from the couch downstairs. She was concerned about it too- she realised that she hadn't mentioned the fact that she sensed a monster that she had never encountered before. But she figured that they got the general idea.

_To make both Lina and Gourry lose their appetites… _she thought, _whatever this is must be really dangerous…Oh Xellos, where are you?_

Lorelei closed her eyes for a moment, searching intently. Even when she and Xellos were far apart, they were linked over the astral plane, so they could always sense each other's presence. Lorelei could usually tell what general direction Xellos was in when she did this- which was comforting to know. But for the past two days, since Lina had received the letter, Lorelei was startled by what she sensed.

Or, to be more accurate, what she _didn't _sense.

"Come on... Xellos... I know you have to be somewhere..." She murmured. "Maybe earlier when I couldn't sense him, it was some sort of fluke, or a mistake I made... surely he's somewhere..." She concentrated carefully, searching hard for any signs of the monster that she cared so much about. There had to be _something_ she could sense...

Absolutely nothing.

"Th-this can't be..." She sobbed. "There's got to be some sort of reason that our link has been broken... Xellos, where are you? I don't care if you tell me 'that's a secret!' At least then I'll know that you're okay..." Lorelei curled up on the couch, staring up at the ceiling- the chandelier that she had broken innumerable times. Unfortunately, she wasn't in the mood to mess with it another time.

Thinking of Xellos only made Lorelei slightly envious of the humans who could easily fall asleep and forget all their problems, at least for a time. It wasn't that simple for monsters.

"I just wish I knew_ something_..." She sighed.

…

The monster that had targeted Zara appeared in the great hall of an old abandoned castle, where his companion was waiting for him. Her appearance was rather attractive, with short raven-black hair that framed her face, except for a long braid that reached all the way down to her knees. Her looks were those of a normal human, except for a violet jewel on her forehead that labelled her a monster. She was flipping through a large, old book, reading every word with rapt attention. A second monster in the form of a small, grey cat lay indolently at her feet.

"That was fast." She commented critically to the man who had just appeared in front of her. "Did you even accomplish anything?"

"I certainly did!" He defended. "If you must know, I found and killed Lina Inverse's _son_."

"Her son? What does her son have to do with anything? He wasn't involved in the Dark Star incident." She replied curtly.

"Well, revenge, of course." The man explained. "Just imagine Lina Inverse's horror when she finds out that-"

"You were supposed to kill Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev. Not try to exact your revenge on them. Isn't killing them enough?" The woman scolded.

"Oh, come on, El! I will kill them! The princess, the chimera, and the golden dragon as well! Just give me some time!" He said.

"Time is something that we don't have a lot of right now." Elmyria replied. "You know that very well."

"Of course, of course…" The man sighed.

"I suppose this means that I've been more successful than you have." El continued.

"Oh really?" Her companion asked, showing further interest. "Does this mean that you've finally taken care of that trickster priest like I asked you?"

"Like you asked me?" She responded, sounding insulted. "Now look here, _Valgaav. _I do _not_ take orders from you- you take them from me! Do not _ever _address me that way again, you hear? You know that the only person that I take orders from is Lord Gaav."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Valgaav defended. "Geez, El, don't take it so personally!"

"I'm the whole reason that you're standing here right now as a monster." El shot back. "Be grateful."

"Alright, _thank you_." Valgaav sighed. "But what of Xellos? You _did_ destroy him, correct?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I already made absolutely sure that he will not interfere with our objective. He always _did_ have a knack for interfering with things..."

"Good, good. With Xellos out of the way, our goal will be so much easier. Now for Lina Inverse and her friends. I'll see to it that they don't become involved. That golden dragon, Filia, as well." Valgaav nodded.

Elmyria thought about Filia. She didn't mention the problems that she had to go to in order to smuggle the ancient dragon egg away from the overprotective golden dragon. Perhaps it was better that Valgaav didn't know the way that Filia had cared for him- it would only complicate his mission to kill her.

"Fine, then. Be sure to work hard and quickly. We have less than two months before the blue moon- we can't lose our chance." El ordered.

"Right!" Valgaav nodded, and teleported away. Elmyria looked at the place where he had stood, glanced at the cat for a moment, then turned her attention back to the book she had been holding, and she stroked the page affectionately.

"So close… and yet so far…" She murmured. "Be patient… just a few more weeks..."

* * *

(A/N: Usually I don't really like my OC villains, but as I've been writing this, I've gotten pretty attached to Elmyria. El-chan sure is bossy, though! Gives you the feeling that Valgaav really annoys her... T.T)


	4. 4: Nightmarish Memories

(A/N: Kina short-ish chapter this time. Sorry! Oh, and if you haven't noticed, I FAIL so hard with chapter titles, that I've kind of stopped even trying. Obviously since I'm no good with that, I haven't the brains to be a mastermind behind something as epic as Slayers. I don't own.)

* * *

**4- Nightmarish Memories**

Lina expected to have trouble getting to sleep that night, but that was before she realised how exhausted she really was. She was half-asleep almost immediately, and had no trouble continuing on to sleep when Gourry put a comforting arm around her. They both fell into a peaceful sleep, expecting to be woken up by the sun the next morning. However, they were woken up a lot sooner.

"Linaaaaa~!"

Lina woke up with a start, pulling Gourry with her. "Huh…? Lina? Something wrong?" He murmured.

"What's the matter with you, idiot? Don't tell me that you could possibly sleep through someone screaming like that!" Lina yelled,

"Screaming? You mean Zara?" He asked. Lina answered by rushing back toward Zara's bedroom. Gourry followed behind, still not sure what was going on.

"Zara, are you okay?" Lina asked, rushing in to see the little boy cowering in fear.

"L-Lina~!" He sobbed, and threw his arms around her as she sat down on the bed beside him. "It was awful! I thought I was going to die!"

"Calm down, calm down. It's okay." Lina said, attempting to comfort him. "What, did you have a nightmare or something?"

"Y-yeah… a really bad one…" He replied, still half-crying.

"That's weird." Gourry said. "You haven't woken up with nightmares for a really long time. I can't even remember the last time it happened."

"Was it about what happened today?" Lina asked, concerned.

Zara nodded weakly. "That guy, he was so scary. First he pulled out a sword, and then he tried to choke me… and…"

"This person… do you remember what he looked like?" Lina asked. If they could get a description of the man who was after Zara, it would be a great help to them.

"Well…" Zara began, trying to remember the details. "He was kind of tall, and he wasn't wearing any winter clothes, just a short-sleeved shirt and pants- I think he might have been a monster."

"A monster, huh?" Lina asked. "But what about his appearance?"

"Well, he had these scary, gold eyes, and his hair was blue…"

"Like, a dark blue, or a light blue?" Lina asked.

"Uh… kind of light-ish green-ish blue, I think…" Zara replied.

Lina got the idea. "That colour hair, and gold eyes…" She murmured. _Coincidence. _She told herself. _There must be plenty of people with that combination. _"His hair- was is short? Long? Kind of in between? Was there anything strange about him?" Lina continued asking.

"Uh… it was sort of in between…" Zara said. "Kind of long-ish, maybe to his shoulders… And he had these weird markings on his face like this." Zara brushed his fingers over his cheeks in a similar fashion to the scars worn by his attacker.

Lina was shocked. "It… it can't be…" She murmured.

"Huh? What?" Zara asked.

"Uh… nothing! No worries!" Lina replied, smiling at the little boy. "We'll make sure that nothing happens to you, alright?"

"Okay." Zara replied. "Thank you, Lina." He hugged her close and Lina returned the gesture, but her mind was elsewhere.

_It can't be… he should be dead…_

Lina and Gourry stayed in Zara's room until they were sure that he was asleep again. "Lina," Gourry whispered as they got up to leave. "Is something wrong? You're being awfully quiet."

Lina threw him an incredulous look. "You mean you didn't recognise his description?" She whispered back.

"Uh… not really… should I have?" He replied.

Lina sighed. "I think… the person that he described… it sounds like… Valgaav."

"Valgaav?" Gourry gasped. He stood still for a moment, a clueless look on his face. Lina mentally counted to three, and Gourry continued right on cue. "… and he is…?"

"You idiot!" Lina whispered harshly. "Valgaav was the monster who opposed us when we were fighting Dark Star- remember? He was trying to get revenge for his master, Gaav the Demon Dragon King. Doesn't any of that ring a bell?"

"Oh yeah!" Gourry exclaimed, and then quickly put a hand over his mouth, trying not to wake us Zara. "I mean, oh yeah! That guy." He whispered in a small voice.

"Right. And if Valgaav really has come back…" Lina sighed. "it could be very bad…"

"What could be very bad?" Lorelei was standing outside Zara's bedroom, watching Lina and Gourry.

"Uh… nothing." Lina defended. "We were just going back to bed now…" She tried to leave the room, but Lorelei caught her by the back of her shirt.

"I'm not an idiot. Explain it to me." She ordered.

"Well…" Lina began. "It's kind of a long story…"

"I don't need to sleep or anything." Lorelei responded. "I _am_ a monster, after all."

"Right… you are…" Lina sighed. "Alright, follow us. We'll tell you the story."

"We?' Who is 'we?" Gourry asked, but he didn't have time to protest as Lina dragged him back down the hallway.

* * *

"So… you think that the person who attacked Zara is someone you've faced before?" Lorelei asked.

"Right." Lina nodded. "His name was Valgaav, and he was a monster who served under the Demon Dragon King, Gaav."

"The Demon Dragon King…" Lorelei murmured. "I remember him. The monster who had a human body… but he was so strong, even Xellos was wary of him. But Xellos told me that he was destroyed by Hellmaster Phibrizzo. Was that after you fought Valgaav?"

"No, it was before. But Valgaav was a very loyal minion to Gaav, and he was trying to get revenge against us, and then against the world… also for what the Golden Dragons did to his people, the Ancient Dragons."

"Golden and Ancient Dragons? Isn't Filia a Golden Dragon?" Lorelei asked.

"Right, she is. Valgaav was an Ancient Dragon, a race that was nearly wiped out by the Golden Dragons a long time ago. Valgaav was the only survivor. Gaav found him and brought him to the monsters' side, and Valgaav was loyal to him after that."

"I see…" Lorelei replied. "But what happened to Valgaav? Did you destroy him?"

"We did…" Lina replied. "Although, according to Filia, he was reborn in an Ancient Dragon egg, and she decided to take care of it until it hatched…"

"So that's what that egg was!" Lorelei exclaimed. "I always saw Filia caring for some kind of egg, but I wasn't sure where she got it. She cared for it like it was her own, but I knew that couldn't be the case…" Lorelei gasped. "So you mean that Filia could be involved in this too?"

"I guess so." Lina nodded. "And, now that I think about it, it could also have something to do with that mysterious letter I got from Xellos…"

"Xellos…" Lorelei murmured. "Oh, I wonder what's happened to him…"

"Don't you two have some sort of link over the astral plane?" Lina asked. "Something that you can use to find each other, or at least just sense each other to make sure that the other is alright?"

"We do… but…" Lorelei's voice trailed off.

"But what?" Lina asked.

"B-but… I…" Lorelei's voice sounded as if she were going to burst out in tears. "The last few days… I've tried to sense him… but I can't seem to reach him…I can't find him anywhere… it's as if he… he just… _disappeared_!"

Lina couldn't help but feel sorry for the little monster and wrapped her arms around Lorelei. It was a strange gesture, considering that the two people involved couldn't stand each other, but it felt wrong for Lina to leave the monster upset like that.

"Don't worry…" Lina said. "I'm sure that Xellos is somewhere. He's too smart to let anything happen to him. Right?" She offered Lorelei a smile, which probably wasn't the best thing for a monster, but it seemed to reassure her.

"R-right…" Lorelei sighed. "Thank you, Lina. You're right… I guess I just… don't want to lose him again…"

"I know." Lina said comfortingly. Lorelei had been separated from Xellos after a large battle and had spent years searching for him. It was thanks to Lina that he and she were reunited However, Xellos still went off on missions by himself often, and Lorelei always waited anxiously for him to return. It was not like him to disappear without warning like this. "But you trust Xellos, right?"

"Completely." Lorelei answered.

"Then there's nothing to worry about."

"But what about Valgaav? We have to worry about him, right?" Gourry asked.

Lina shot Gourry a glare. "Yeah… we do… but we need more information to be sure about it… we need to find Filia."

"Miss Filia? You want to talk to her?" Lorelei asked.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea…" Lina nodded. "After all, she would know the most about what's happened to Valgaav… but we have to visit Seyruun first…"

"Say, Lina?" Gourry spoke up. "Is Lorelei going to come with us to Seyruun?"

"Of course." Lina replied. "Xellos asked us to take care of her, and I'm not going to get on that monster's bad side- you know how he is."

"Okay, then. That's good. I wouldn't want to leave her behind when she's all alone like this." Gourry said.

"I'm not a child, you know." Lorelei huffed indignantly. "I can take care of myself."

"Does that mean that you don't want to come to Seyruun with us?" Lina asked.

"O-of course I want to come! I was just saying that you two don't need to treat me like some sort of little kid!" She fumed.

"Well, it's not our fault that you look like one." Lina said with a smirk.

"Why you-" Lorelei began, but Gourry got between the two of them.

"This is too much fighting for so late at night! Why don't we just go back to sleep and finish this tomorrow?"

"Okay…" Lina and Lorelei both sighed angrily, and Lina allowed Gourry to half-drag her back to their bedroom.

"I'm going to get that little monster tomorrow…" She muttered.

* * *

"Miss Lina! Mister Gourry! I'm so glad you could come! Hi there Zara-chan, and Miss Lorelei as well!" Amelia greeted her friends enthusiastically

"Hey, Amelia. Long time not see." Lina replied, smiling.

"It has been quite a while, hasn't it? Are you alright? You didn't have any trouble getting here, did you?" Amelia asked.

"No, of course not…" Lina said, glancing at Lorelei, her voice trailing off.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Lorelei defended.

"Who else am I supposed to look at? All that craziness was your fault." Lina accused.

"Hmph!" Lorelei, huffed, crossing her arms. She wouldn't deny that she had caused them just a little bit of unnecessary chaos on the short journey…

"Well, well, what do you know? It's Lina and Gourry. What a nice surprise- although I guess it's not much of a surprise since we invited you." Another voice joined the group

"Hey there, Zel!" Lina exclaimed. "It's been too long! What, a year almost? Good to see you again!"

"Likewise." Zelgadis grinned, but he was suddenly grabbed by Amelia.

"What do you think you're doing out here? You're supposed to be in bed!" She asked.

"Oh, come on, Amelia. I'm not seriously not sick- really!" Zelgadis protested.

"Yeah, you don't look sick." Gourry observed.

"I don't feel sick either." Zel agreed.

"Well, you had a fever these past few days, and I don't want you getting sick again!" Amelia defended.

"I think Zel should be fine." Lina commented. "Funny, I didn't realise that demons could catch colds. But I suppose that you are half human…"

"Three-fourths." Zelgadis corrected, glaring at Lina.

"Sorry, sorry, _three-fourths_ human. Gosh, you don't have to be so touchy about it." Lina sighed. "But anyway… what was your reason for inviting us here? It couldn't possibly be simply a social visit- I highly doubt that anyone would miss our dysfunctional family so much that they'd actually ask us to come over just to visit."

"M-Miss Lina, you can't possibly mean that!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah…I guess we're really not _that _dysfunctional… well, except with Lorelei hanging around…" Lina replied.

"Hey!" Lorelei growled.

"But seriously, though, why did you invite us here? There's a reason, isn't there?" Lina continued, her tone becoming more serious.

"You're perceptive." Zelgadis said. "I suppose that you've already guessed that something strange is going on."

"Guessed? Zel, my friend, we know for a fact that something strange is going on- Zara especially." Lina replied gravely.

"Zara-chan does? What do you mean?" Amelia asked.

"Here." Zara said, pulling down the collar of his shirt so that the bruises on his neck were visible.

"Oh my!" Amelia shrieked. "Wh-what on earth happened to you?" She bent down to comfort the child, though it was apparent that he didn't need it.

"That's not even the worst of it." Lorelei said with a shudder. "Poor Zara was beaten up pretty badly."

"By who? When?" Zelgadis asked.

"Two days ago, actually." Lina admitted. "We weren't sure that we should travel with Zara in the condition that he's in, but Seyruun is close, so we decided to come anyway. We figured that you would be able to help us with this problem…"

"Who could have done this? And why?" Amelia gasped.

"We're not totally sure on the 'why' part, but according to Zara's description…" Lina replied, her voice trailing off. "The descriptions sounds a lot like… Valgaav."

"V-Valgaav?" Zelgadis asked. "You mean the Valgaav that we faced when we had to fight Dark Star?"

"What other Valgaav is there?" Gourry asked.

"I don't know of any, but still…" Amelia replied. "That's just so… unexpected… he was killed, wasn't he?"

"We want to talk to Miss Filia about that." Lorelei said. "After all, she is the one who was taking care of the ancient dragon egg."

"That makes sense." Zelgadis nodded. "And you're on your way to visit Filia right now? In that case, we'd be happy to join you."

"N-now wait a minute! You're in no condition to travel!" Amelia exclaimed, grabbing Zelgadis by the arm.

"What do you mean, 'no condition to travel?' I'm fine, Amelia!" He replied. "Do you think that people in Seyruun will let_ you_ go on such a dangerous journey?"

"They don't need to worry about me! I'm a warrior of Justice, remember? It's your health we should be worried about!" Amelia responded.

"Amelia has a good point." Lina said. "I don't want Zara coming with us either. It could be bad for him."

"I'm fine! Lina, I'm really fine! Really!" Zara defended.

"Miss Lina's right, Zara-chan. I don't like it." Amelia nodded.

"We're fine! We can come with you!" Zelgadis said.

"Yeah! We're fine! Fine!" Zara agreed.

"You're not fine and you know it." Lina replied.

"Yeah!" Amelia agreed. "Mister Gourry, you think so too, right?"

"Uh actually…" Gourry began, trying not to make eye contact with Lina. "I kind of think you guys are being a little bit paranoid…"

"We WHAT?" Lina yelled, whacking Gourry over the head.

"I-I'm sorry, but yeah! I mean, Zel looks fine- I'm not worried about him. Zara either; he's a strong kid. As long as we're all together, there really isn't anything to worry about. I know for a fact that _you_ wouldn't want us giving you special treatment if you were sick or injured."

"Right, but…" Amelia murmured, but she couldn't argue with his logic.

"I hate it when you're actually smart." Lina growled, glaring at Gourry angrily.

"I know." Gourry laughed. "I know…"

* * *

A good distance away from Seyruun, some fishermen noticed a young boy strolling around the lake. There wasn't anything particularly noticeable about the boy, except for the fact that none of the men had ever seen him around before. He looked to be about 12 or 13 with unruly straw-blonde hair. His outfit was rather plain- just a brown vest over a white shirt and long beige pants with many assorted pockets. He wasn't unusual, just a new face, so the fishermen didn't pay him much mind- which was exactly what the boy wanted. He didn't want to draw attention to himself. He was upset enough as it was.

"Elmyria…" He murmured to himself, his voice thick with anger and frustration. Unable to contain his tumultuous emotions, he picked up a rock and tossed it violently into the lake. "EL-CHAN YOU DIRTY TRAITOR, WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING?" He yelled, drawing stares from the fishermen who had been previously disinterested in him. Shying away from the other people, he continued walking the perimeter of the lake.

"My goodness, that was quite uncivilised of me…" He murmured to himself, horrified at his sudden outburst. "But it certainly did make me feel better. I wonder if all humans react that way to such emotional release…I doubt it, though…"

He sat down in order to rest and gather his thoughts. The boy peered into the lake and examined his new and unfamiliar reflection, frowning in disgust at it. It was so… innocent.

Hah, innocent indeed. Nice going, El-chan. Add insult to injury, why don't you?

But it could have been worse...

His deep violet eyes scanned the horizon coloured crimson by the setting sun. "El-chan, I just wish I knew what you're after… but you're so very good at keeping secrets. Not that I'm all that surprised. After all, you did learn from the best." His purple eyes glinted with the slightest hint of pride at this statement. "Which also might explain why you were able to outsmart not only Lord Beastmaster, but Filia as well. But, unfortunately for you, I won't let someone who betrayed Lord Beastmaster get away with... _whatever it is that you're doing!"_

The boy got up, straightening his vest and turning back to the path that he had been walking on. "But the first thing to do is find Filia. Undoubtedly she's figured out what has happened to our friend Valgaav by now…and undoubtedly he'll be targeting her…darn it, she's in danger! I don't have any time to waste!" He continued on the path, with a much faster pace this time.

* * *

(A/N: So, El-chan hasn't even made an appearance in this chapter and already we're learning more about her! :3)


	5. 5: Friend or Foe?

(Another short-ish chapter. I try to make them a little over 3000 words or so, but sometimes they don't quite make it... Anyway, do enjoy. ^.^ And of course, I don't own Slayers. As per usual.)

* * *

**5- Friend or Foe?**

"Hey you guys, let's stop at this noodle shop. I hear that they have some of the best noodles around- they make them from scratch right there in the restaurant! And after that, we can visit the market, and-"

"Miss Lina! How could you think of food and shopping at a time like this? We're finally near where Miss Filia lives!" Amelia snapped. The group had been travelling for a few days to reach the far-flung town where the golden dragon had set up her pottery shop.

"Uh, for starters, it's lunchtime and we're hungry! And second of all, I am a merchant. It's my job." Lina shot back.

"But Lina, I thought you said that your job was chasing band-"

"Shut up, Gourry!" Lina yelled. "I'm a merchant, okay?"

"Right. And then we'll visit Filia, correct?" Zelgadis asked.

"Correct." Lina nodded. "So, let's get moving."

"You're being awfully nonchalant about this." Lorelei commented.

"Well, yeah. There doesn't seem to be any need to worry at the moment." Lina replied.

"That's interesting. Whether or not it really was Valgaav, _someone _tried to kill your son. I would think that you'd be ready to blast them to pieces." Zelgadis said.

"Oh, I _am_." Lina said, her eyes flashing with anger. "But there's no reason to get upset about it before we meet up with his attacker."

"Well then, lead the way to this restaurant." Zel sighed, following after his friends.

* * *

"Hello? Miss Filia?" Amelia called, opening the door to the pottery shop.

"Yo! Filia! We came to visit!" Lina called loudly. "Filia? Hey, Filia!"

"Excuse me, can I help you?" An unfamiliar lady stood behind the counter of the shop, staring confusedly at the large group of people who had come into the shop. "You're looking for Miss Filia?"

"No, we just came into the shop calling her name in order to confuse you." Lina said sarcastically. "YES, we're looking for Filia. Is she here?"

"Uh, well… not at the moment, I'm afraid…" The woman replied.

"Where is she?" Amelia asked.

"Well… Miss Filia asked me to watch her shop about a week ago, because she had to leave suddenly and her assistants were out of town…so she's been gone about a week, but I have no idea where she went. She said it was some sort of family emergency."

"Family emergency?" Zelgadis asked. "Interesting…"

"Do you know when she's going to be back?" Amelia continued.

"I'm sorry, but I don't. She seemed quite distraught when she left, so I thought it would be rude to pry. I apologise. Are you with the young man who came by here earlier looking for Miss Filia?"

"Young man?" Lina asked, suddenly alert. Her mind instantly thought of Valgaav. "There was a man here earlier? What did he look like?"

"Er, well…it was a boy, actually, a little blonde kid. He looked like he might be about 12 or so, though it's hard to tell with boys that age. Anyway, he came by looking for Filia, and seemed pretty upset when I told him that she wasn't here. I asked him who he was, but he didn't give me any information on himself, he just thanked me and left. Afterward, I was curious, so I asked around the village about him- apparently he's been going around raiding bandit camps recently, stealing things and looking for information. He certainly doesn't look it, but according to the rumours, he's a pretty dangerous kid. If you don't know him, I'd be careful."

The group exchanged a glance and turned to each other to have their own discussion.

"Raiding bandit camps? Stealing things?" Lina growled. "That's _my_ job! Who the heck does that stupid kid think he is?"

"Well, he certainly isn't Valgaav- but it's still troubling to know that we're not the only ones looking for Filia." Zelgadis said.

"That's for sure. I wonder who that boy is. I've never heard of anyone that matches that description." Lorelei agreed.

"What do we do? We still don't know where Filia is." Gourry asked.

"I think our best bet right now is to find this kid that she was talking about." Zelgadis replied. "I've got a feeling that he knows more than we do."

"I agree- I want to inflict some pain on that little brat! Nobody steals my spotlight!" Lina muttered.

Amelia turned back to the woman behind the counter who was watching the strange group curiously. "Miss, do you know where this boy went? How long ago was he here?"

"He was here yesterday afternoon, and was apparently heading west. That's all I know, I'm afraid." She replied.

"Fair enough." Lina sighed. "Don't worry, I'll be able to find him- especially if he's as dangerous as you say."

"Thank you very much, ma'am." Zelgadis said, nodding.

"Oh, no problem. Sorry I couldn't be of more help." The woman replied, waving to the group as they left the shop.

They had someone to find.

* * *

"Who does this kid think he is?" A particularly tough group of bandits had been confronted by a child, demanding supplies and information.

"Oh, come now, I think we can come to some sort of agreement. You don't want to get hurt, right?" The boy asked, his violet eyes glinting.

"Little kids like you shouldn't be giving commands! Get that brat!" The leader ordered. Several of the bandits leaped toward the boy, but the child was fast, and with the application of a few pressure points, the large men were knocked unconscious before they even knew what hit them.

"I don't want to have to knock you all out, because I'm trying to get information. Could you at least_ try_ to be helpful?" He continued, flashing an innocent smile.

"What do you know? We're way stronger than you, you little shrimp!" The men argued, leaping at the boy again. Once again, they were all immediately knocked unconscious. "Who is this kid?" The leader murmured incredulously.

"Now, let's negotiate. You see this?" The boy pulled a small item out of his vest pocket. "This is one of the smaller ones that I carry. It's not nearly as efficient as some that I have. But it gets the job done…" He tossed the item far behind him, and the bandits watched incredulously as the bomb ignited an enormous explosion just a short distance away. "You don't want that to happen to you, right?"

The men who had remained conscious cowered in fear behind the leader, who was also trembling. This kid was dangerous. "We-we'll do whatever you want!" He assured the boy.

"Good. Now, I want to know about a young woman named Filia Ul Copt. Do you have any information on her?"

"Filia? Never heard of her." The men replied.

"Oh, come on! Surely you must have heard _something_!" The boy pressed. "She's tall, blonde, compassionate to a fault, incredibly attractive…" He stopped. _Dang it, did I say that out loud?_

"Sounds like the kid's got some sort of crush on the lady." One of the bandits commented.

"Be quiet, or I'll shut you up myself!" The boy growled, pulling another bomb out of his pocket. The men were instantly quieted. _Ignore them… _He told himself. _They're just naïve humans… focus on Filia right now…_

"We're sorry! We don't know anything, we swear!" The men assured him.

"I can't tell whether or not you're lying…" The boy sighed, his cold purple gaze scanning the men.

"Who do you think this kid is?" Some of the men whispered amongst themselves. "I don't know. I heard a rumour that the bandit killer had a son… you think this could be him?" "Nah, she's too young, and this kid's too old." "Where did he learn all those fancy tricks, though?" "Beats me…"

"What are you nice men talking about?" The boy asked with a false politeness. "Comparing me to Miss Lina Inverse, are you?"

"Did I hear someone mention my name?"

The bandits gasped in surprise and fear at the voice, and the boy's eyes widened. It was obvious that he was unnerved by the person that had just joined them as well. To the bandits' relief, Lina ignored them at first, and directed her attention to the boy, grabbing him by the vest and pulling his face toward hers. "Alright you little brat, start talking. Who are you and what are you doing stealing my act?"

"Um, well, uh…" He stammered, too surprised to put his thoughts into words. Lina turned to the bandits who were watching incredulously.

"What are you idiots staring at? Beat it before I have to chase you away myself!" She growled.

"R-right! We were just leaving!" They replied, hastily clearing the area. Just Lina and the boy were left. She materialised a Fireball in her hand and held it threateningly toward him.

"Start talking or I Fireball you right here." She demanded.

"M-Miss Lina, if you'll just wait, I have a perfectly good explanation, but…" he stammered.

"But' nothing!" Lina spat. "You asked for it! FIREBALL!" Lina created a large explosion that hit the boy directly. He was sent spiralling back, and fell, unconscious, on the ground, his eyes spinning.

"M-Miss Lina! You didn't have to hurt him like that!" Amelia scolded, coming to join Lina, along with the rest of her friends.

"Sorry…" Lina replied, blushing. "But I had to do something. He was being reluctant to talk."

"The poor boy." Amelia sighed, kneeling down beside him to get a better look. Lina examined the kid for the first time as well. The woman's description had been pretty accurate- he did look to be about 12 or 13- though he could have been a little older or younger. He had messy, dirty-blonde hair (either that, or just blonde and actually dirty; it was impossible to tell,) that was even worse than Zara's, which Lina hadn't thought was physically possible. He was pretty dirty all over; it was hard to tell that his shirt was originally supposed to be white.

Amelia was not as concerned about cleanliness as she was about his physical state. "To be knocked unconscious by a simple fireball, he must be exhausted. I'd guess that he must have had quite a bit of physical overexertion. He looks rather malnourished as well- I'd say that he hasn't been eating very well."

"Lovely diagnosis, doctor Amelia." Lina said, clapping in mock admiration. "What sort of remedy do you prescribe?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Amelia sighed. "You know, this is a serious matter. First of all, this kid needs something to eat- after he gets some rest, of course. A bath definitely wouldn't hurt him either..."

"Are you sure we should really be doing all this? After all, we don't know whose side this boy is on." Zelgadis commented, grabbing Amelia's arm protectively.

"Do you think that he could be a monster?" Gourry asked nervously.

"No, he's not." Lorelei answered. "He's completely and totally human. There's no questioning it."

"And he doesn't even have any magical powers." Lina added. "A regular human kid, with no magic… how the heck does he manage to steal my spotlight? I swear, when he wakes up-"

"Let's not rush into this, Lina." Zelgadis stated, pulling Lina backwards. "He may not seem dangerous, but what happened earlier with those bandits? We don't know just what this boy is capable of. The fact that he's a regular human without magical powers only makes me more suspicious of him."

"Yeah. He's abnormal in his normality…" Lorelei murmured.

"Which is why we can't take our eyes off him." Lina nodded. "He could be just as evil as Valgaav…"

"I don't think so." Zara said. "I think he's a good guy."

"That's right, Zara-chan! It's unjust to judge someone without sufficient information!" Amelia agreed.

"No… I can just tell… he's on our side…" Zara commented.

"If Zara thinks so, then I agree. His intuition is hardly ever wrong." Lorelei said.

"I guess so…" Lina sighed, still staring warily at the blonde boy.

"So what do we do now? Wait until he wakes up?" Gourry asked.

"It looks like that's the only thing we can do…" Lina sighed. "Zara, why don't you make us some lunch? It may help to wake him up, if he's really as hungry as Amelia says he is."

"Okay!" Zara replied happily.

* * *

When the boy woke up, he seemed very surprised to see Amelia's concerned face looking down at him. She put her hand on his forehead in an affectionate gesture, which originally caused him to flinch, but he seemed to grow more comfortable with it when he realised that she wasn't hurting him- especially when he caught Zelgadis' annoyed glare. It seemed that the chimera was unhappy with the way Amelia was being overprotective of the suspicious person that they had just met… or maybe he was jealous? The boy smirked at him, which only made Zel even angrier.

"You don't seem to have a fever, so that's good." Amelia said. "But you really should eat something. We have some soup- would you like some?"

The boy looked around nervously. "Uh, I don't really care for any, thanks for asking…"

"Well, you need to eat _something_." Amelia continued sternly, and the boy realised that she wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily.

"I guess I could have a little bit then…" He sighed.

"If you're going to get any of it, then you need to hurry before Lina and Gourry get to it." Lorelei advised.

"Yeah, or else you won't get any!" Zara laughed.

"I see…" The boy replied, almost tempted to insist that his hosts get the meal first- but Amelia was already handing him a bowl of soup before he could protest. The princess' pressing stares forced him to reluctantly eat a few bites, causing him to realise just how hungry he really was- he ended up getting two more bowls of the soup, which pleased Amelia.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to impose..." He murmured, looking at the empty bowls with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Oh, think nothing of it!" Amelia assured him. "Allies of Justice would never allow someone to go hungry! That's unjust!"

The boy seemed to flinch involuntarily, and then eased up a bit, as if he was trying to decide whether or not Justice was harmful to him. In the end, he decided that it wasn't and sat next to Amelia with a cup of tea, focusing more on Zelgadis' annoyed expression rather than Amelia's concern.

"So, now that you're not on an empty stomach," Lina began, finishing up her own lunch. "Tells us everything. Who are you, and what are you doing? Why are you looking for Filia?"

"Get better at asking questions, Miss Lina." He chided. "You asked me what I was doing, and then asked me why I was looking for Filia- which indicated that you already knew what I was doing. Is this supposed to be cross-examination or something?"

Lina jabbed a fork toward his throat, causing him to shrink back a little. "I wouldn't be critical if I were you, pipsqueak. I already know that you don't have any magical powers."

"Oh, you do, huh?" The boy replied unhappily. "I guess it figures that you'd be able to figure that out… but still… I'm really not as helpless as you would think…"

"I guess you're right. After all, how did you create that explosion and knock out those bandits?" Lina replied.

"Bombs." The boy responded, pulling several objects out of one of his pockets. "I make them. Some are more powerful than others. And as for the bandits, that was the simple application of pressure points. You can use them to bring down even the strongest of opponents."

"These bombs… I know how to make them! Xellos taught me." Lorelei said. "You use food, right?"

"Right." The boy nodded, his eyes glinting with what seemed like pride at the little monster.

"No wonder he was starving. He's been making bombs with his food instead of eating it." Zelgadis sighed, sounding irritated.

"We're getting off-subject." Lina interrupted. "Tell us, why are you looking for Filia?"

"I'm searching for Filia so that I can warn her… about Valgaav…" The boy replied.

"So Valgaav really has come back!" Lina gasped.

"I'm afraid so." The boy nodded.

"Tell us everything, then." The sorceress demanded.

"E-everything?" He stammered. "Well, some parts are kind of hard to explain…"

"Explain them anyway. We're not stupid." Lina demanded. "Well, most of us, anyway…" She cast a glance at Gourry, who was totally oblivious to the entire conversation.

"Alright, fine…" The boy sighed. "Where do I begin…?"

* * *

(A/N: Where do you begin? Well, at the beginning, of course! Haha~!)


	6. 6: Revelations of a Former Monster

And... next chapter already! Another short on- sorry! The next one will be much longer, I promise! I had some people asking me about this Elmyria person, so we'll finally get to learn more about her in this chapter. And, as per usual, I don't own anything except my lovely OCs (and the other random ones that I just threw in there and don't care to take credit for.) Enjoy! :3

* * *

**6- Revelations of a Former Monster**

"You seem to already have realised that Valgaav has been revived as a monster." The blonde boy began explaining to the group.

"Right." Lina nodded. "But what is he planning? What is he trying to do?"

"I wish I knew…" The boy sighed. "But I don't have any idea. I'm really not used to being on the uninformed side of a secret, to tell the truth…"

"We're used to it." Zelgadis said, glaring at the boy suspiciously.

"Yeah… but I know who he's working with. His partner is a monster named Elmyria." The boy continued.

"Elmyria? I've never heard of her." Lina commented.

"I think I've heard the name before- it was Lord Beastmaster who used it. But I never met the monster herself." Lorelei said.

"Elmyria was a prisoner of Lord Beastmaster for the past several hundred years…" The boy explained. "But long before that, during the time of the War of the Monster's Fall, and a little beyond, she was Lord Beastmaster's lieutenant general- the second in command to the second in command, so to speak. The only one closer to the Greater Beastmaster was her general priest."

"We know him well." Lina sighed.

"Oh yes, I know that." The boy nodded.

"Excuse me, but how did she go from being the lieutenant general to being a prisoner?" Amelia asked.

"Simple." The boy replied. "She betrayed her master- not to mention the whole monster race."

"She was the second-in-command to Xellos and she betrayed the monster race?" Lorelei growled, anger flashing in her crimson eyes. "How could she do that?"

"Well, let's just say that she became rather _attached_… to the Demon Dragon King, Gaav." The boy answered gravely.

"The Demon Dragon King…?" Lina gasped.

"You mean that…" Amelia began, her eyes sparkling. "…she fell in love with him?"

"If you want to put it that way…" The boy murmured disgustedly. "…I suppose she did. Anyway, she became a servant of Gaav, and worked for him alongside Valgaav."

"So that's how she's connected to Valgaav." Zelgadis said. "I see why she would want to revive him. But… what are the two of them after?"

"I told you earlier, I have no idea." The boy replied. "But I know that it has something to do with the blue moon- there's going to be one in about two months, and they're trying to have something ready in time… oh, and they also want to kill all of you."

"What was that last part?" Lina asked. "What do you mean, they want to kill all of us?"

"They're after all the people who were involved in the Dark Star incident- the four of you, and of course, Filia." The boy explained. "They don't want any interferences."

"How do you know all this?" Zelgadis asked suspiciously.

"Me? Well, they actually captured me and tried to kill me… I learned of this while I was their captive." He answered.

"But you obviously escaped with your life." Amelia said.

"Well… sort of…" the boy murmured quietly.

"Sort of?" Lina asked. "Hey wait, why would they be interested in you? You're just a human with no magic."

"Lina has a good point. Why _would_ they be interested in attacking you?" Zelgadis growled.

"Well… that, uh, is the hard part to explain…" The boy answered, avoiding eye contact with any of the people around him.

"Like I said before, we're not stupid. Tell us." Lina ordered.

"Okay, well… let's see how I can phrase this…" the boy said. "Um… you all remember the Red Priest Rezo?"

"All too well…" Zelgadis murmured.

"Of course you do. Silly me. Anyway…" The boy continued. "You also remember, then, how he created a setup with the Hellmaster's Jar so that when he died, his spirit wouldn't be destroyed along with his physical body, but would be transferred into another vessel instead. Correct?"

"Right…" Lina replied, beginning to guess just where the kid was going with this.

"So, if you apply that same principle, but use an actual human body instead of a jar…" He knew that the people he was talking to were intelligent, and he paused for a moment to let them figure out what he meant.

"So… you're saying…" Lina began.

"This isn't your original body…" Zelgadis continued.

"Exactly!" The boy said brightly.

"Wait! So when you said that Miss Elmyria was trying to kill you, and that you only 'sort of' escaped with your life, this is what you meant?" Amelia asked.

"Precisely."

"So she destroyed your original self and allowed you to take over this body rather than actually dying…" Lina reasoned.

"Right again! You guys are very good at this!" The boy smiled.

"So that means that you're probably a lot older than you look." Amelia observed.

"And judging by your in-depth knowledge of monsters, I'd say you must have been a monster yourself." Zelgadis agreed.

"Oh, he wasn't just a monster…" Lina began, locking her crimson gaze with his violet. Human or not, there was only one person who had eyes like that. "…an annoying, scheming, mischievous, no-good…" Lina quickly grabbed him in a violent headlock.

"XELLOS! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING EARLIER?"

"C-can't… breathe…" Xellos gasped, attempting to separate himself from Lina's grasp. The sorceress reluctantly let him go, allowing Lorelei to grab his arm. "S-sorry…" he stammered, catching his breath. "But I figured that you'd never believe me if I told you… I mean, what would you do if I just randomly walked up to you guys like this and said 'hey guys, it's me, Xellos?"

Lina thought that over for a moment, and decided that perhaps Xellos had a point.

"That's true. I'm sure that I would have never believed him unless I'd heard what he said." Amelia agreed.

"Yeah. I would have thought that he might be insane." Zelgadis said. "Now I'm _sure_ of it."

"Oh Zelgadis, you don't mean that~" Xellos whined playfully.

"But how could you make us worry like this?" Lorelei asked.

"I'm sorry, Lorelei dear… could you please quit cutting off the circulation in my arm?" Xellos responded, and Lorelei loosened her grip. "I know you must have been worried, but I'm afraid that the situation calls for certain… uh… I mean… that is…" He blushed slightly. "well… this isn't exactly the form that I'd like to show up in…"

"I understand…" Lorelei said.

"So, going back to what you were saying earlier," Amelia began. "This… Elmyria who is working with Valgaav… she used to be your subordinate?"

"Well, more like an apprentice- a little sister almost… El-chan was the second best student I've ever had…" Xellos sighed sadly.

"Second best?" Lina asked.

"Well, of course. Lorelei is just as good, and she never _betrayed_ me." He replied pointedly. Lorelei's eyes sparkled at the unexpected praise from the person she most admired.

"But what is Elmyria up to that she'd need to kill you- and us as well?" Zelgadis asked.

"I! WISH! I! KNEW!" Xellos growled, "Ugh, I can't stand being kept secrets from! It's just so… so…"

"Welcome to our world." Lina smirked, glad that the former monster was finally getting a taste of his own medicine.

"I see…" Xellos sighed.

"Er… um… Xellos…?" Lorelei began nervously.

"What is it, Lorelei?" He replied.

"Well… uh… I was just… wondering… is this… _permanent_…?" She stammered, fearing the answer but needing to know anyway.

"Huh? What? You mean _this_?" Xellos asked, pulling at his vest curiously. "Heck no! No way! You think that I'd be so nonchalant about all this if I was stuck this way forever? Oh, Lorelei dear, don't even _think_ about that!"

Lorelei's fearful expression softened, and she sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness… I was afraid for a minute that…"

"No, no, it's fine. Getting back to my original form wouldn't be hard, but it would be time-consuming and would require Lord Beastmaster's help- and we don't have the time for that right now. Filia is in danger, and we need to find her as soon as possible." He responded.

"You're awfully concerned about Filia." Lina said curiously. "Just what is between the two of you anyway?"

Lina hadn't ever wondered whether Xellos had been capable of blushing as a monster, but it was obvious that he could as a human. His freckled cheeks lit up bright enough to rival Lina's hair. "I-I'm really not!" He stammered. "Trust me, I just want to make sure that I can put an end to whatever El-chan is planning! Filia just happens to be involved, and…" _Dang it, why am I getting so worked up about this? It's so much harder to control my reactions in this form! I hate being a human!_

"Right, right. Okay." Lina nodded. _Wow, is that really Xellos? I almost feel sorry for the guy... _

"The reason behind it does not matter! What matters is the fact that Miss Filia is in danger, and as her friends we cannot allow anything to happen to her! We must work together to strike down injustice!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Amelia's right. If Filia needs our help then we need to help her- never mind your little crush on her." Zelgadis commented, grinning at Xellos' reaction to the last part of his sentence.

"It's fine. Let's just find Filia and let her know what's going on. Right guys?" Lina grinned, turning around to where Gourry and Zara were sitting, separated from the group. "Uh… guys? Are you… paying attention at all?"

"Huh? What?" Gourry asked, coming out of a totally unrelated conversation with Zara. "…sorry, we weren't really paying much attention. Neither of us could really follow what you were talking about…"

"Yeah. Once you started talking about that Rezo guy, I kind of lost the ability to focus." Zara agreed. "I mean, I never met the guy."

"Lucky kid…" Zelgadis muttered.

Lina sighed angrily, trying to keep herself from lashing out at the two of them. _I love those two… I love them… _She repeated to herself, calming herself down. "Look, here's the long and short of this." She grabbed Xellos and pulled him in front of her, pointing to him. "_Xellos_ here has been betrayed by a friend of his who has teamed up with Valgaav for some unknown purpose and now they want to kill us. We have to find Filia and warn her about what's going to happen. Got it?"

Zara and Gourry stared at Lina and Xellos with looks of absolute incomprehension, but they both nodded. "Got it." Gourry replied.

"Right, right. Of course you do…" Lina sighed. "Anyway, let's get going."

"By the way, I'm surprised at this." Lorelei commented.

"About what?" Xellos asked his companion who was still attached to his arm.

"It would take an incredibly powerful monster to do something like this to someone as strong as you. In fact, I think it's far beyond your own capacity. In which case, how would Elmyria have managed it?

"I wondered that myself…" Xellos agreed. "And the only guess I can come up with is this: they must have someone much more powerful than themselves backing them."

"Someone even more powerful?" Amelia gasped.

"Just like Valgaav was working with Almayce before?" Lina asked.

"Precisely. But I have a feeling that whatever they're working with is from our world this time." Xellos replied.

"So confusing…" Gourry murmured, shaking his head.

"I'm with you." Lina responded sympathetically. "But we've just got to keep going."

* * *

"Hey El, I got it! Here, catch!" Valgaav appeared on the balcony of the monsters' hideout- a three story house located in the middle of nowhere, that had once served as a shop for gemstones and jewels, but had since been abandoned. He tossed a small object toward Elmyria. She looked up quickly from the book in her lap to lunge at the object and catch it just in time.

Carefully folding the red book and setting it aside, she grabbed Valgaav by the front of his shirt, her eyes filled with rage. "Valgaav you idiot, you could have broken it! How could you possibly be so careless? Do you know what would happen if this relic were broken?"

"S-sorry El…" Valgaav stammered, swiftly dodging a few scratches from the grey cat as well. "I didn't mean to…"

A deep voice emanated from the green crystal on the front of the large, red book. "My dear Elmyria, don't act so worried. Even if the relic is broken, as long as all the pieces are present, it retains its magical capacity. There isn't any reason to get so upset."

Elmyria let go of Valgaav immediately, and made a small, apologetic bow in the direction of the book. "S-sorry sir. My mistake." She murmured.

Valgaav chuckled slightly, but he was immediately silenced when Elmyria shot him a vicious glare. "So… uh… that's one down, and eight to go, right?" He asked.

"Correct." El nodded. "Where should we go next?"

"Might I suggest the isle of the Temple of the Stag?" The voice from the crystal asked. "It is located in the Western Sea- there is a temple in the middle of the island with three pillars, and the ancient relic is located in the centre of them. Humans haven't inhabited the isle for years, so there's no chance that it would be guarded."

"So we can just walk in and take the relic for ourselves? Sounds perfect!" Valgaav said, grinning. "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch… this time, at least." The crystal replied.

"Sounds good! I'm off to find it-" Valgaav began, but Elmyria grabbed him.

"I don't think so. You still have another mission that you're leaving behind. We've already taken care of Xellos, but there is still the Inverse girl and her little posse to contend with. You need to get rid of them. I'll worry about the relic for now."

"But El!" Valgaav groaned.

"No, Elmyria is correct, Valgaav. Do as you are told." The voice commanded from within the crystal.

"S-sorry sir! I'll get right on it!" He replied. "Lina Inverse has an entire group with her at the moment, which could be difficult to deal with. I'll target the dragon first, and then get rid of the rest of them."

"Don't worry, Valgaav. With my power backing you up, there's no way that they will have a chance." The voice assured the monster as he teleported away.

El sighed. "I swear, that man is so immature sometimes. I can't believe that you actually made him one of your highest-ranking minions."

"Now my dear Elmyria, you know as well as I do that Valgaav's loyalty is unfailing- as is yours. You have to be patient with him. If we want to have all nine relics in our possession in time for me to be resurrected, then I can't spend all my time playing peacemaker between the two of you." The voice answered.

"Yes. I'm sorry sir." Elmyria replied, bowing. "So, I will go to this isle now- hopefully it will be an easy job. After all, we'll still have seven relics to collect afterward."

"Correct. Farewell, my dear Elmyria. Best of luck." The voice wished her.

Elmyria bent down to the cat for a moment, stroking her grey fur affectionately. "Take good care of him for me, Riko." She said. Riko simply yawned in response, but El knew all too well that the cat would stake her life to protect the crystal attached to that book. Feeling satisfied that it was safe, she left to complete her mission.

Once alone, the crystal had no way of moving, as it was attached to the large red book. It simply glowed contentedly. "Elmyria and Valgaav, you're loyal to a fault… if anyone can bring my plans to fruition, I'm sure it is you…"

* * *

(A/N: No notes today because I'm lazy.)


	7. 7: Perilous Voyage

Happy Friday to everyone! Here's a longer chapter like I promised! And a happy Valentine's day to you too, since it will be Monday. There's a slight bit of romance (LG) thrown into this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it. *sigh* And nothing has changed since I posted the last chapter- I do not own any of the characters from Slayers. I just like to manipulate *cough* I mean, _write about_ them. ^.^

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**7- Perilous Voyage of a Dangerous Passenger Ship**

Lina made a mental note to herself as she stared incredulously at the precarious-looking, decrepit excuse for a ship that they were apparently going to use to cross the Western Sea.

Never let _Xellos_ arrange transportation.

"M-Mister Xellos… are you really sure that this ship is safe for us to ride on…?" Amelia asked nervously clutching Zelgadis' arm.

"Of course! I talked to the captain! She's had years of experience on the sea! And we even arranged accommodations for you! There are four cabins on the boat, including the captain's quarters, so one for Lorelei and me, one for Miss Lina, Mister Gourry, and Zara, and one for Amelia and Zel."

"Zelgadis." The chimera corrected, staring angrily at Xellos. "Don't call me Zel."

"Geez, touchy…" Xellos sighed. "You want to switch then? You can look after Lorelei, and Amelia can stay with me-"

"Xellos, do you know what it's like for a human to be attacked by a demon? Because you seem awfully intent on finding out." Zelgadis threatened.

"Oh? You're a full-blooded demon now? What happened to one-fourth?" Xellos teased. Monster or not, he was getting a kick out of messing with Zel.

"Okay, you asked for it-! Let go of me, Amelia!" Zelgadis was attempting to get his hands on the former monster, and when he did…

"Zelgadis, please calm down!" Amelia said, clutching his arm in an attempt to hold him back.

"I swear, Xellos, when I get my hands on you-" Zel growled.

"Just wait a little bit, Zel." Lina said, grabbing his other arm. "If we survive this horrendous trip in one piece, I'm going to personally make sure that the person responsible for it pays dearly. I'd be glad for you to join me if you want."

"It'd be an honour." Zelgadis sighed, easing up so that Amelia and Lina could let go of him.

"Come on now, Miss Lina… Zelgadis…you guys aren't serious…" Xellos asked with a nervous laugh.

"Oh, we're dead serious." Lina replied. "But I doubt that we'll actually kill you… since you could be useful to us in the future…"

_She sounds so much like me, it's actually frightening… _Xellos thought. _Do all humans scare this easily? Perhaps it has something to do with physical instincts or something… I am not scared of her… I am not scared of her… _He repeated to himself, willing his own mind to be braver. _Have I mentioned that I _hate _being a human..?_

"Come on, you guys. Let's go meet this captain that's supposed to be so great." Lina sighed, hoping that the captain would make up for what the ship lacked.

She was sorely disappointed.

"A'right you young'uns, listen up! On this ship, It's my way or the highway- and when you're in the middle of the sea, the highway is not a preferable option. Everyone comprehend?" A young woman just a little bit older than Lina addressed the group.

"She's… pleasant…" Gourry murmured, the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"You're not kidding." Lina whispered back.

"H-how much experience have you had on the sea, miss? Have you always ferried people back and forth?" Amelia asked.

"Always? No way, missy! I was a pirate!" The woman replied with a laugh. "But I decided to change jobs 'cause this one pays better! Hah!"

"Hey Gourry, I'll bet she'd like to know how we hunted pirates when there weren't enough bandits around, huh?" Lina whispered.

"And I'll have ya know that I am completely capable of facing anything that the ol' sea can dish out!" She continued. "Now, let's get this ship movin'!"

The entire group glared angrily at Xellos. "H-hey, what are those looks for?" He asked, sounding hurt.

"Oh, don't even get me started…" Lina growled. "After this trip is over, Xellos, you're _dead_."

Xellos sighed sadly, murmuring to himself. "Honestly, why can't anyone ever appreciate the things I do?"

* * *

Lina leaned over the side of the deck, watching the dark blue waves move past them, reflecting the waning light of the moon that was only just above the horizon. She thought she was alone, so she didn't mind murmuring to herself. "This is insane…"

"I know, right?" Lina didn't even have to turn around. She'd recognise Gourry's voice anywhere by now. He walked up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Uh, what exactly were you talking about? The boat or the captain?"

"Neither. I was talking about… well… this." Lina replied. "I mean, Valgaav… being revived… and Xellos… being… well,_ Xellos_… and then this dangerous monster that we've never heard of being after our lives… and…" She sighed forlornly.

"Yeah. I'm still not completely sure what's going on!" Gourry agreed.

"To tell the truth, neither am I." Lina replied. "But whenever there's danger, we have to work hard to make sure that nothing happens. I mean, we don't want the world to be destroyed or anything."

"Yeah, that might be kind of bad!" Gourry laughed. "Because the world has food in it, and if it were destroyed, then there wouldn't be any left. That would be sad."

"You're an idiot." Lina grinned.

"Thank you." He replied, smiling back at her.

"Anyway…I guess I'm just kind of worried." Lina continued, turning back to look at the waves.

"I'm really not all that worried." Gourry replied, smiling comfortingly at her.

"You're not? B-but why?" Lina asked.

"Well… I guess…" Gourry leaned on the railing of the ship contemplatively. "We've been through so much, I figure that, if we were going to get killed, we would have already. But every time we've escaped with our lives, no matter what the danger was. I have no doubts that we'll make it out of this one as well."

"Oh Gourry, you're so straightforward…" Lina sighed, smiling up at her companion. "I guess it's just like Amelia always says- Justice always triumphs, no matter what the circumstances."

"You believe that?" Gourry asked curiously.

"Gourry dear, I don't just believe it, I live it!" Lina replied with a flourish.

Gourry watched Lina's triumphant motions, his mind racing. Had she… she'd just called him 'dear!' It was the first time he could remember her using affectionate terms like that with him. It had been one of her stipulations when he'd asked her to marry him- that her name was 'Lina.' No pet names. He assumed that she thought about him the same way.

The closest thing he'd ever gotten was the nickname 'jellyfish,' which, he had to admit, Lina could make pretty darn endearing. But Lina had never been very romantic. Not much had changed between them even after they had gotten married. She could be affectionate at times, but only when they were alone. Sure, they were alone here too, but he was so surprised to find her being so open to him. He was tempted to pick her up and carry her back to their room, and…

"Yo, Gourry?"

"Huh? What?" Lina snapped Gourry out of his reverie.

"What are you daydreaming about?" She asked.

"N-nothing." He lied.

"Don't give me that. Not even idiots daydream about nothing. What was on your mind?" Lina continued.

"You…" He confessed.

Lina laughed. "Alright then. I guess that's okay. Just get your head out of the clouds." She paused for a second. "…or your mind out of the gutter. Either way…"

"Lina!" Gourry groaned. "Honestly, just for mentioning something like that! You're the one that needs to get your mind out of the gutter!"

"Me?" Lina gasped. "Hey, come on! I'm not the one who was just staring so intently at another person…"

"I wasn't staring at you!" Gourry defended. "uh… okay, maybe a little…"

"What, am I just too beautiful for you to keep your eyes off of?" Lina accused playfully.

"It's not my fault if you are!" Gourry laughed. "That's your problem! I'm just the innocent victim here!"

"Innocent indeed…" Lina sighed, grinning and grabbing on to Gourry's arm. "I'd say not!"

They stood together for a few moments, enjoying the view from the ship and each other's company. Gourry finally turned back toward the boat, and motioned for Lina to follow.

"I guess we should head back to the cabin now… Zara's probably waiting for us…" He began.

"Oh yeah, right." Lina nodded, sounding slightly disappointed. Suddenly the two were interrupted by a separate conversation.

"They're never going to let me…"

"Ask anyway!"

"But…"

"Come on! It'll be fun!"

Lina looked up. "Zara? Lorelei? What's up?"

"Uh… Lina…?" Zara began, looking up at her hopefully. "Um… can I… stay up with Lorelei tonight? We wanted to explore the ship… and… I promise I'll get some sleep eventually… but…"

Lina and Gourry exchanged a glance and blushed, realising that they were probably thinking the same thing. "Sure, go ahead." Lina replied.

"Yeah. Have fun." Gourry agreed.

"Just remember that if you break anything, the captain will throw you overboard- literally, so don't have _too_ much fun." Lina laughed.

"R-really?" Zara gasped. He hadn't thought that Lina and Gourry would approve of him and Lorelei exploring the ship, but he wasn't going to question his luck. "Th-thanks!"

"No problem. We're going back to the cabin. If you need anything, just knock on the door, okay?" Lina said.

"Okay!" Zara smiled.

Lorelei grinned. "You guys don't have too much fun either, alright?"

"Gourry, give me something I can throw at that little brat! I don't want to burn the whole ship down with a fireball- but I will if I have to!" Lina yelled, trying to get to Lorelei. Gourry had to grab her to keep her from strangling the monster.

"Anyway, g'night, Zara." Gourry said, dragging Lina back to the cabin.

"Good night!" Zara waved. "Lorelei, why did Lina get so mad at you? You didn't say anything wrong."

"Oh, to be young and innocent…" Lorelei murmured. "She just likes to get mad at me for no reason, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Zara nodded. "So where should we explore first?"

"Let's sneak into the captain's quarters." Lorelei grinned.

"That sounds dangerous… at least in this situation…" Zara murmured.

"Nonsense! It'll be fun!" Lorelei replied.

"We're going to get killed…" Zara whined. "Is this what Lina was talking about when she said that you were a bad influence on me?"

"I'm not a bad influence!" Lorelei defended.

"Yeah, you kind of are…" Zara replied. "Every time I get in trouble, you're involved somehow."

Lorelei put on her best pouting face. "B-but Zara, don't you love me?" She whined.

"O-of course I do! It's okay!" Zara assured her, grabbing his friend in a warm hug. Lorelei blushed and smiled contentedly to herself.

"Good. I love you too. Now let's explore the captain's quarters while she's asleep!" Lorelei continued.

"You're insane, Lorelei." Zara sighed.

"True… very true…" The monster agreed. "Now are we going or not?"

Zara looked back, tempted to run back and knock on the cabin door and spend the rest of the night with Lina and Gourry, but he really wanted to explore the ship, and he wasn't tired at all…

"Okay, then. We're going." He replied.

"Great! I knew you would!" Lorelei exclaimed happily.

"What am I getting myself into…?" Zara murmured.

* * *

"She's not in here." Lorelei observed as the two kids made their way into the captain's quarters. "That makes it less fun…"

"That makes it less dangerous too." Zara added.

"Danger is my middle name!" Lorelei boasted.

"Really? I didn't know you had a middle name. Do you have a last name too?" Zara asked curiously.

"Uh… I was joking… but if you really want to know… they're actually Emberizid and Metallium..." Lorelei replied, giving Zara a puzzled look. "I think you've been hanging around Gourry too much."

"What?" Zara asked.

"Nothing, nothing…" Lorelei sighed. "Anyway, there's nobody here, so let's check this place out!" She flew up to one of the bookshelves and pulled out a few books. She dropped them onto the floor, though Zara managed to catch them.

"Don't throw things! You remember what Lina said!" He scolded.

"Sorry." Lorelei whispered.

"And besides, some people are trying to sleep downstairs! What if you woke up Lina and Gourry?" Zara asked.

"Oh, I doubt that we have to worry about Lina and Gourry…" Lorelei said with a smirk. "But you're right. I wouldn't want to wake up Xellos- it was enough of a challenge getting him to go to sleep in the first place."

"He wasn't tired?" Zara asked.

"No, it's not that." Lorelei shook her head. "He's just not used to his new body yet- it's going to take him a while to get accustomed to eating and sleeping like a normal human."

"I see." Zara nodded. "I guess I never really thought about how different humans and monsters are, since I was always half of each. But if someone would have to switch back and forth, it would be really confusing."

"No kidding." Lorelei grinned. "And I'll bet that, as soon as he finally learns how to be a human, he'll be able to change back to normal and have to un-learn it all over again!"

"Hopefully." Zara replied, and neither of them spoke for a moment. It was only 'hopefully.' Xellos had said that it would be easy to get his original form back, but Lorelei was suspicious that it would not be as simple as he made it sound.

"Anyway…" Zara continued, wanting to break the awkward silence. "Why don't we read some of these books?"

"Sounds good!" Lorelei smiled back. The two spent a long time reading the various materials that were in the captain's quarters- most of them being technical manuals and atlases that looked virtually untouched. Much of the information seemed boring to Lorelei, but Zara, who had always loved knowledge, was reading with rapt fascination.

"Hey, Lorelei! Check this out! This book talks about all kinds of interesting oceanic phenomena! They're scattered all around the world, but I finally found one in the Western Sea where we are!" Zara exclaimed.

"Cool, what kind of phenomenon is it?" Lorelei asked. Charts and maps bored her, but an unusual oceanic phenomenon piqued her interest.

"I'm not sure, I still have to read about it." Zara replied. "It's called… let's see… how do you pronounce this… Charyvreckan?" He tried to sound the word out.

"Ca-reck-an…" Lorelei read. "Apparently the 'y' is silent. That's weird. It must be some strange old language. I wonder what this thing is."

"Let's see… the Charyvreckan is an infamous whirlpool created by the merging of two underwater currents. It creates a hazardous journey for ships passing through the Western sea, because it is located directly in the middle of it. The whirlpool actually caused the abandonment of a human settlement on an island called the isle of the Temple of the Stag, due to the fact that the island's main bay was blocked by the whirlpool, making it impossible for ships to safely come and go."

"Dang. Sounds like a freaking dangerous whirlpool." Lorelei sighed. "Too bad we won't get to see it."

"Too bad? Do you want to die?" Zara gasped.

"No! I just want to see the whirlpool! What was it? The char-"

"Charyvreckan." Zara corrected. "The 'h' is silent too. Some language."

"Right…" Lorelei murmured. "W-wait! Hold on a second! Let me see that map!" She grabbed the book from Zara and turned to the small desk in the room, where the navigation equipment was. Grabbing most of it, she rushed back outside onto the deck.

"L-Lorelei! Wait up!" Zara ran after her. "What are you doing?

"I'm checking our position since the captain seems too lazy to do it herself." Lorelei replied. Zara watched in incredulity as she made measurements and calculations, plotting it on the map beside her.

"Where did you learn to do that?" He asked.

"Where do you think? From Xellos of course." Lorelei shot back.

"Wow. Xellos is really smart- that's why you're so smart, right?" Zara asked. Lorelei blushed at the comment.

"Yeah, he's super-smart. Just look at how well he can fight bandits even without magical powers. He's a genius." Lorelei said, finishing up her calculations. "Yep, my hunch was right."

"What's that?" Zara asked.

"According to our current position, our travelling direction, and our speed, it looks like we're going to get to see the whirlpool after all." She answered.

"Wh-what?" Zara gasped. "Really?"

"Yep. We're on a straight collision course with the centre of the Charyvreckan." Lorelei said with a grin. "This is going to be fun, isn't it?"

"Fun? This is a disaster! We've got to do something!" Zara yelled. "Where the heck is the captain when you need her?"

"Um… is that her over there…? …Unconscious…?" Lorelei asked, motioning over to the side of the deck. Sure enough, their less-than-competent captain lay unconscious on the deck.

"M-Miss Captain! Wake up! Wake up!" Zara cried, shaking the woman's arm. "Come on! You've got to wake up! We're in danger! Miss Captain!"

The woman turned slightly, moaning and muttering something about 'five more minutes…'

"She's totally useless." Lorelei sighed. "I don't even want to ponder how she could have ended up like this..."

"W-what do we do?" Zara asked, beginning to panic.

"Well, I guess we need to wake up everyone else. You go get Gourry and Lina, and I'll get Amelia and Zel." Lorelei said.

"What about Xellos?" Zara questioned.

"I'll get him too- don't worry." Lorelei assured her friend. "I can't tell exactly how far away the whirlpool is, so we're going to have to work fast."

"Right!" Zara exclaimed.

* * *

After knocking on the door a few times with no response, Zara opened it. "Lina? Gourry? Oh, they're asleep…" The boy ran up to the side of the bed and tugged at Lina's shirt sleeve. "Lina? Lina! Wake up!"

"Hmmm…? What?" Lina began to wake up. "Zara? What are you doing? What time is it?"

"Um, um, I don't know! I, uh, well, um, it's, uh…" The boy stammered.

"Speak, child, speak! What is the problem?" Lina asked, beginning to get annoyed. She had, after all, just been woken up, and she was still tired.

"Do you guys know how to steer a ship?" He finally managed to ask.

"Huh? Yeah, we do. Why?" Lina replied.

"Well… the captain lady is unconscious, and…. there's a big whirlpool thing…" Zara began.

"Oh. My. Gosh. XELLOS!" Lina cursed. "It's all that stupid monster's fault! I swear, when I get to him…" She turned and kicked Gourry, knocking him off the other side of the bed.

"Ah! Wh-what?" He yelled, standing up and looking around. "What's going on?"

"You know how to pilot ships, right idiot?" Lina asked.

"Yeah, I do. Why?" Gourry replied.

"Because our captain is completely incompetent." Lina sighed. "Come on, Zara. We've got to get moving if it's really as dangerous as you say."

* * *

"Hey! Amelia! Zelgadis! Wake up! The ship's in danger!" Lorelei yelled.

Amelia was awake and out of bed in a second. "What? Did you say something about danger? A Warrior of Justice can never allow their companions to be put in danger! We've got to do something!"

"Hmmm…? Amelia? What time is it…?" Zelgadis murmured, still very obviously half-asleep.

"Zelgadis! You've got to wake up! There's a problem! It's…" Amelia turned back to Lorelei. "…what is the problem again, Miss Lorelei?"

"If you're playing some sort of trick on us, then I'm going to-" Zelgadis began to threaten Lorelei, but she cut him off.

"No! Seriously! The ship's in danger of colliding with this giant whirlpool thing! Zara went to go wake up Lina and Gourry, and I-"

"Did someone say something about danger?"

The group turned to look at Xellos, who had run quickly into the room.

"That was fast." Zelgadis murmured.

"You were just looking for an excuse to get out of bed, weren't you?" Lorelei accused.

"L-Lorelei dear! What on earth would give you that impression?" Xellos gasped, sounding hurt.

"Uh, the fact that you DIDN'T want to go to bed in the first place. You know that you need sleep now- you don't want to be knocked unconscious by a simple fireball again, do you?" Lorelei reprimanded.

"N-no, I don't... but..." He stammered.

"Well then, what are you doing?" She growled. "I'll make an exception this time because the ship is in danger, but next time this happens, you are going to get some sleep whether you like it or not!"

"Wow." Amelia whispered to Zelgadis. "Since when did the parent and child switch roles?"

"Since the parent _became_ a child." Zelgadis shot back, eyeing Xellos with an irritated glare.

"Come on, let's go! Zara will never forgive me if I don't do somethin-" Lorelei began, but she was cut off suddenly as the ship began to rock back and forth.

"Oh no! What's happening?" Amelia gasped, running out of the room toward the stairs to the upper deck.

"Amelia! Wait up!" Zelgadis yelled, running after her.

"Alright! Now the fun begins!" Lorelei grinned, teleporting back to where Zara was waiting for her. Xellos watched her go wistfully.

"I wish I could do that..." He murmured, sighing and climbing the steps to the deck as well.

* * *

"Linaaaa~! I'm scared!" Zara cried, hanging onto the railing of the ship for dear life.

"It's okay! Quit whining!" Lina ordered. "Dang it! There's no moon, so it's really dark out here! Gourry! How's the visibility?"

"Visi-what? Uh, I can't see anything, so I don't know!" Gourry called back.

"Idiot!" Lina yelled. "If you can't see anything, that means that the visibility is really bad! There's got to be some way to see where we're going... What are we going to do?"

Suddenly, the ship was pitched violently to the side. Gourry attempted to turn the wheel, but had no luck. The ship was being tossed violently by the strong currents. "Hey you guys! I can see an island from up here!" Lorelei, who had flown higher to get a better view, called out.

"An island? That's good!" Gourry said.

"No, it's not!" Lina growled. "We could crash into it!" All of a sudden, the group heard a terrible grinding noise, like the ship was scraping up against rocks underneath it.

"We must have reached a shallow portion!" Xellos gasped. "Quickly! You've got to steer out of it!"

"I'm on it!" Gourry responded, throwing the steering wheel as far as he could to get away from the sound of the rocks. Unfortunately, the wind and the waves seemed to have the same idea. They bombarded the ship from the side, in the direction that it was already leaning. With the extra push, the ship itself capsized, sending Lina and her friends careening into the dark water below them. All Lina heard was the sound of Gourry and Zara calling her name, and then the shadows of the water consumed everything.

* * *

(A/N: I am going to be lazy again and not leave a note? Sorry! Anyway, in case you were wondering, the name for this fictional whirlpool is a mixture of mythology and real locales. Charyvreckan is a combination of Charybdis, the whirlpool monster from 'The Odyssey,' and Corryvreckan, which is an actual whirlpool located in the Scottish Hebrides, near the island that I based this fictional isle on. :3)


	8. 8: The Mysterious Isle Temple

I'm not even_ trying _with the chapter names anymore... this one was thought up at 2 a.m... Chapter 8 already? This story is progressing faster than I expected! But it's fun, so it doesn't matter! By the way, you might guess from the descriptions that this isle is based on a real life island, and is one that I have actually been to. It's beautiful~ Anyway, despite the links to actual places, this is just a fanwork and I don't own anything. So please enjoy! ^.^

**8- The Mysterious Isle Temple**

"Ouch..." Lina groaned, clutching her head as she slowly regained consciousness. "Wh-wha... where in the heck are we...?" She could feel sand beneath her, and could hear the soft sound of waves rolling in around her. The bright light suggested that it had become morning already.

"Somehow we managed to wash up on a deserted island. You okay?" Zelgadis reached down to help Lina back to her feet.

"Thanks, Zel." Lina replied, letting go of his hand. "A deserted island, huh? It's gorgeous..." They had washed up on a small stretch of beach that was surrounded completely by large, dark cliffs. The layers in the rock were evident and were slanted upward as if the rock had been violently pushed up by strong metamorphism somewhere in their far-reaching lifetimes. Dense vegetation in the form of ferns and wildflowers grew on the cliffs, and there was a forest that began not too far from the edge where the precipice dropped off violently toward the ocean below. The only break in the cliffs was the place where the beach was- the land gently sloping upward to the forest. Though it was not the growing season, the air was still thick with the sweet smell of foliage and the humming of bees and other insects. Lina thought for a moment that she saw a deer in the forest- a tall, proud stag- but it dashed away before she could get a good look at it. "What is this place?"

"It must be that island that we read about in the book. What was it...?" Lorelei spoke up. Lina turned around to see Lorelei and Zara examining the landscape around them.

"The Isle of the Temple of the Stag?" Zara asked.

"That's it." Lorelei nodded. "The island that had to be abandoned due to the whirlpool."

"Abandoned?" Lina asked. "What a shame. It really is a beautiful place."

"Yeah..." Zelgadis agreed. "But I can also see why it's dangerous. Look- we got really lucky to wash up on the only beach area here. If we had run into those cliffs instead..." He decided that it would be best not to finish that sentence.

"I guess you're right..." Lina said. "But we can't dwell on what didn't happen, we have to act on what did happen! First thing to do is figure out where Amelia and Gourry are."

Zelgadis had noticed the princess and the swordsman's absence as well. "Right..." He began, looking warily at the cliffs, his expression showing severe worry.

"Hey!" Lina yelled, reading his thoughts. "Don't think that! I'm sure that they're somewhere else on this big rock, trying to figure out where we are! We'll find them!"

"Yeah, and Xellos too!" Lorelei added.

"No one cares about Xellos." Lina shot the monster a glare.

"_I _care about Xellos!" Lorelei fumed.

"And the captain lady as well." Zara pointed out.

"No one cares about her either." Zelgadis said.

"That, I CAN agree with." Lorelei nodded.

"So, shall we begin searching? We won't find them by just standing around!" Lina said, taking off toward the forest. The others ran after her.

"Hey Lina, Zara, stay close, okay?" Zelgadis said, catching up with them. "I know that Gourry would hate me forever if I let anything happen to either of you."

"Oh, come on, Zel! We're not _that _helpless." Lina grinned, punching her friend lightly on the arm.

"Yeah, I know you're not." He replied. "I guess I just..."

"You're worried about Amelia and need something to protect in her place?" Lina asked. Zel blushed slightly.

"Maybe..." He murmured.

"Well, don't worry so much!" She laughed. "You know that Amelia's a warrior of Justice! Nothing's going to happen to her! And besides, they're probably with Xellos, and, as much as I absolutely HATE to admit it, that guy is actually pretty smart."

"I know..." Zel sighed. "I hate to admit it too... but you're right..."

"I'm glad that you humans are finally showing some respect for Xellos' true genius!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"Thanks." Zelgadis laughed. Lorelei gave him a puzzled look.

"Zara," she whispered. "what did he thank me for? I was trying to tick them off."

"You called him a human." Zara replied. "I think he likes that."

"Stupid chimera, ruining my fun by being grateful..." Lorelei muttered.

* * *

As the group made their way across the island, always making sure to keep the coastline in sight, the landscape changed dramatically. It went from the heavily forested area that they had begun with, to a large meadow filled with tall grasses and wildflowers. Lorelei and Zara couldn't resist the temptation to pick a few (or more than a few) and play with them. They were having a friendly competition to see who could make the best flower chain. Zara found a particularly pretty bloom and decided to give it to his friend instead of keeping if for himself. "Here you go." He said, smiling and handing Lorelei the flower.

"Th-thank you, Zara." Lorelei stammered, blushing. Instead of potentially messing it up by tying it in the chain, she placed it in her hair.

"It looks really beautiful." Zara commented, causing Lorelei to blush further.

"Hmph... I don't see what's so special about it... he gives _me_ flowers all the time..." Lina growled, glaring at the two kids.

"You're just jealous." Zelgadis commented.

"Jealous of _what_?" Lina gasped. "I-I'm not jealous!"

"Right..." He grinned. "Say, you think I should pick some of these flowers to give to Amelia? She does like flowers..."

"Yeah, that'd probably make her happy." Lina nodded.

"Lina! Lina! Here!" Zara called, running up to Lina and handing her a long chain of flowers that he had strung together. "I made it for you!"

"Aw, how sweet. Thanks so much! I love it!" Lina exclaimed, draping it around her neck like a necklace.

"Hey, are we still moving or not? We're not going to find Xellos and the others if we just stand around!" Lorelei called, walking on further. Lina followed, smirking at the monster.

"He gave me a _whole chain _of flowers." She whispered boastfully.

"Well I got the _prettiest_ one." Lorelei shot back.

"Will you two quit bickering and get moving?" Zelgadis called.

"We're not bickering. We're engaging in friendly competition." Lina replied.

"Well can you engage in friendly competition while we're still walking?" He responded, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Fair enough." Lina sighed. As the group walked further, the terrain changed again. Only this time, you couldn't _see_ the change. The ground simply grew muddier; there were less flowers and more tall grasses. Eventually it got so bad that they had to use levitation spells to keep themselves safely away from the boggy soil. "Geez, how did it get so muddy?" Lina groaned.

"It looks like a peat bog." Zara replied. "They're areas of incredible biodiversity."

"And incredible muddiness!" Lorelei whined. "Boy, it's a good thing I can fly!"

"Hey you guys, is that a building over there?" Zelgadis asked, pointing farther inland toward the isle's mountains. Sure enough, they could see some kind of structure.

"Hey, what do you know? It is a building! Come on, everybody! Let's go!" Lina called, turning towards the structure.

"Wait, this island is supposed to be deserted, isn't it? Then there won't be any people there." Zelgadis commented.

"But who knows? Maybe Amelia and Gourry saw the building and decided to go there too. Then maybe we'll find them. People are drawn to buildings, you know." Lina pointed out.

"Okay, then! Let's go!" Zara agreed. Lina, who was carrying the little boy, started toward the building with Zelgadis following. Lorelei stood for a moment watching them go.

"That building... I sense a monster..." She murmured.

* * *

"This place is so huge!" Zara gasped as the group entered the large structure.

"It appears to be an ancient temple of some kind." Zelgadis replied.

"That makes sense." Lina nodded. "Hey, check that out! Look at those pillars!" In the centre of the large room, there were three tall pillars arranged in a triangle. In the middle of them was a small object placed on a pedestal. "I wonder what these things are made of. I've never seen pillars that look like this."

"They're made of quartzite." Zelgadis replied, examining the three columns. "It's a very sturdy metamorphic rock. I'd guess that it was mined from the mountains that we saw in the distance."

"My, my, I didn't realise that you were such a geologist." A voice called from across the room. The group turned and looked to see a young woman standing just opposite of them.

"I... know a few things about rocks..." Zelgadis replied. "B-but who are you? I thought this island was deserted. I didn't know that anyone lived here."

"I don't live here. I'm just visiting." She replied. "I'm here for something. I'll be thankful if you'd stay out of my way, Mister Zelgadis Greywords. That applies to you as well, Lina Inverse."

"H-how do you know our names? Who are you?" Lina yelled.

"I'm afraid that information must remain undisclosed." She replied cryptically, putting a finger to her lips.

"That... is just a fancy way of saying 'that's a secret!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"True, but you'll never hear me phrase it _that _way." The woman replied, glaring at them. "In any case, you must be the Lorelei that I've heard so much about. Xellos' new apprentice?"

"And you are..." Lorelei began, examining the monster in front of her. "... you're the despicable traitor who went against the monster race! Elmyria!"

"So I see you're not completely oblivious to those around you, as Zelas believes." El replied.

"How dare you refer to your master so casually! That's 'Lord Beastmaster' to you!" Lorelei growled.

"Zelas is _not_ my master. The only master I serve is Lord Gaav." Elmyria replied angrily.

"You traitor!" Lorelei spat.

"But what are you doing here anyway?" Lina demanded.

"That information must also remain undisclosed, I'm afraid." Elmyria replied. She walked slowly to the pedestal that was in the centre of the columns. Picking up the relic that was sitting on it, she smiled in satisfaction. "Perfect." She murmured. "I apologise for the abruptness, but I must be going. I'm telling you now not to interfere. You'll be very sorry if you get yourself involved in this." She backed away, as if to teleport, but Lorelei ran and stopped her.

"Don't think you're going to leave so easily! How could you? How could you betray Lord Beastmaster and Xellos?" She yelled.

"Let's see..." Elmyria replied. She seemed to be taking Lorelei's question seriously. Suddenly teleporting across the room, she grabbed hold of Zara. "Tell me, what would you do if this boy were to become Xellos' enemy?"

"Wh-wha~?" Lorelei stammered. "Th-that's not... it isn't... Zara would never do that! He and Xellos are friends! Therefore, this question is irrelevant!"

Elmyria simply nodded, releasing the boy who ran as fast as he could to Lina's side. "My, my..." She scolded. "You're quite inexperienced if you want to hide your own uncertainties from me. Hasn't Xellos taught you that avoiding a question offers just as much, if not more, information than actually answering it? You certainly have a long way to go as Xellos' apprentice."

"I-I..." Lorelei began, shrinking back in horror. It was the worst possible insult that she could have been given.

"Hey now, hold on a second. Just what are you doing with that thing?" Lina asked, pointing to the carved relic in Elmyria's hand.

"That's none of your concern. Don't interfere." El shot back.

"_FIREBALL!" _The resulting explosion caught Elmyria off guard, and allowed Lina to run up and take the relic from out of her hands.

"Why you-" She began.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but it's your fault." Lina chided. "If you'd just kind of left us alone, I might not have done this. But when you tell me not to interfere, I just HAVE to interfere. It's in my nature."

"Insolent human. You will pay for this." Elmyria growled, attempting to attack Lina, but Lorelei stole her attention.

"Oh no you don't! You're fighting me! I'll never forgive you for what you did to Xellos!" Lorelei yelled.

"Fool. Would you rather have me kill him, then?" El asked pointedly. "If you dislike what I did to spare his miserable life, then perhaps you'd prefer him dead."

"I'd prefer him alive- and as a monster!" Lorelei shouted. She materialised the large staff that she used for fighting and lunged at Elmyria. The two monster began attacking each other, and Lina ran to try and break up the fight- either that, or join it. She tossed the relic she was holding to Zara.

"Zara, what is that?" Zelgadis asked.

"It appears to be a skull- but not a real one. A carved one made out of that rock... quartzite." Zara replied.

"Yeah, but a skull of what? I guess it must be a deer, judging by the antlers." Zel replied.

"The anatomy suggests the Red Deer,_ Cervus elaphus." _Zara replied. "I'd be willing to bet that they have a large population on the island, considering the plant biodiversity and numerous available food sources."

"Well, aren't you just a little zoology book?" Elmyria commented. She turned back to Lina and Lorelei. "So, do you _really_ want to fight me? I'm asking you seriously- you really should give this us if you don't want to be injured."

"I'll fight you." Lina assured the monster.

"We won't let you win." Agreed Lorelei.

"Right. I'm in this as well." Zelgadis said. "Zara, look after that relic. It's obvious that it's the object she wants."

"Right!" Zara nodded.

"Hmph. I can take the relic back once I beat you all. Now let's get this over with." El sighed.

"ELMIKIA LANCE!" Lina ran forward, attempting to score a hit. Elmyria, however, grabbed the attack and twisted it around, mixing her own magic with it. She shot it back at Lina, aiming for her heart- but Lina turned defensively and was hit on the arm instead. She screamed and sank to the ground, clutching her wounded arm.

"Lina!" Zelgadis yelled. He quickly pulled out his sword and rushed toward Elmyria threateningly. But Elmyria flew up and dodged his attack, grabbing the sword by the blade. Zelgadis gripped it tightly, but El still managed to pull it out of his grasp. In a split second, she had the sword turned around and was able to strike him back, the sword slashing across the left side of his face. Finished with the sword, she dropped it near where Zelgadis had fallen.

"Hey!" Lorelei yelled, trying to attack Elmyria from behind. El turned around quickly and grabbed the girl's staff.

"You still want to fight me?" She asked.

"Of course." Lorelei growled.

"Fine then. But let's see how well you fly with only one wing." Elmyria replied. She prepared a large attack and shot it at Lorelei, practically destroying one of her wings. Lorelei screamed, her uninjured wing flapping frantically in an attempt to keep her airborne. It didn't work, as she fell to the ground, still clutching her staff.

Elmyria now approached the little boy who was watching the scene in horror. "Give me the relic, boy." She commanded. Zara turned away defensively.

"I-I... I can't... I won't..." He stammered. The group saw Elmyria preparing another attack.

"ZARA! GIVE IT TO HER!" Lina and Lorelei yelled at the same time. Startled, the boy let go of the relic and handed it to the monster that was threatening him.

"That's a good boy. Smart friends." Elmyria sighed. She took the relic and teleported away, leaving the injured group to realise their current circumstances.

Lina was attempting to heal her torn up arm, and Zelgadis was tending to the gash that his own sword had left across his cheek. Lorelei didn't seem to be doing anything to help her wing- she just sat, looking depressed.

"How in the heck... did_ that_ just happen...?" Lina murmured incredulously.

"We underestimated her and payed dearly for it." Zelgadis replied. "We thought that she was weak enough that we wouldn't need a strategy, so we just attacked her one by one. That was a bad idea."

"But still..." Lina murmured. "She was just so powerful..."

Zara approached Lina, trying to make sure that she was okay. "L-Lina... I'm sorry... I let her get that thing..." He stammered. Lina put her good arm around him comfortingly.

"That girl is really powerful, Zara. She was determined to get that... whatever it was... The important thing is that you didn't get hurt in the process." Zara smiled at Lina's attempt to cheer him up, but he still felt slightly guilty about being the only person not injured.

"What I want to know is what she plans to do with it." Zelgadis said. "I'm sure that she wouldn't go to all that trouble if she just wanted to mount it over her fireplace."

"That's a good question..." Lina agreed.

"When I was holding it," Zara began. "I felt some sort of magical energy, but I couldn't tell what it was."

"Interesting..." Lina murmured. "So she and Valgaav must want to use it for some purpose... and whatever it is, it can't be good... now I see why Xellos was so upset about not knowing what's going on. I'm starting to get upset about it myself."

"Well, there's no use complaining about it at the moment." Zelgadis commented. He was currently occupied with attempts to use the fabric of his cape to stop the bleeding of the wound on his cheek while he worked some recovery spells.

"Then what do you suggest that we do?" Lina asked, doing the same with the gash on her arm.

"I guess we-" Zel began, but he was cut off by the sound of other people just outside the large structure.

"What a big building!"

"I know! Do you think that maybe Zelgadis and Miss Lina..."

Lina stood up. "Hey! Gourry? Amelia?" She called.

"Lina? Is that you? Lina!" Gourry rushed into the large room, a relieved smile on his face. His expression quickly changed to one of shock as he examined the scene. Amelia came running in behind him.

"Zelgadis! Miss Li- AH~!" Amelia screamed. Lina didn't blame her. After all, it would be quite shocking to walk in and see the current state of their group- Lina with her right arm all torn up, Zelgadis with a huge gash across the side of his face, Lorelei with one wing nearly blasted off, and Zara, unharmed, but looking scared and confused.

"Wh-what... how... why...?" Amelia began, unable to complete a sentence. She rushed to Zelgadis' side and grasped his shoulders as if she wanted to hug him, but was afraid that she might hurt him as well.

"Amelia." He said, smiling. "I'm so glad that you're alright..."

"I'm fine, but what about you?" She asked, brushing several strands of lavender hair away from the scar on his face.

"Don't worry." He assured her. "I'm fine, Ame-"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT! YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT!" She yelled. Turning around to the others, she continued. "What in the world happened?"

"Well, it's actually kind of a long story..." Lina began, gently pulling herself from Gourry's protective grasp. "You see... we had the pleasure of meeting Xellos' friend..."

"You met who?" Xellos, who had just been behind Amelia and Gourry, asked. "You don't mean... El-chan?"

"Elmyria was here?" Gourry gasped.

"No~." Lina replied sarcastically. "We just inflicted these wounds upon ourselves because we were _bored_."

"But what was she doing here? Trying to kill you?" Amelia asked.

"She didn't go that far." Lina responded. "Actually, she was here for something else. Some kind of magical relic."

"Magical relic, huh?" Xellos murmured. "You didn't let her get it, did you?"

"Um, sorry, but I think our LIVES are more important!" Lina said, pulling Zara closer to her.

"Oh, if only I had been here..." Gourry sighed. "I could have done something-"

"Shut up, jellyfish-brains. If you had been here, then you would have only gotten hurt too." Lina scolded. "And anyway, where have you guys been? Where's that useless captain of ours?"

"She's at the bay with the remains of the ship." Xellos replied. "It's a bit messed up, but she assured us that it's still sailable! Isn't that great?"

"Gourry~! Save me~!" Lina cried, throwing herself in his arms dramatically. "I don't want to go back to the floating death trap!"

"Oh, come on, Lina. It's not that bad." Gourry said, giving her a consoling pat on the head. "...okay... maybe just a little... but look on the bright side!"

"What bright side?" Lina growled.

"Um... that is..." Gourry began, but he was at a loss for words. "Uh... Amelia! What is the bright side of this situation?"

"It's good that we have a way to get off this island. We're not stranded on it." Amelia replied, trying to smile.

"That's right!" Xellos agreed with his own trademark smile flashing. "Because if Filia is in danger, then we have to find her as quickly as possible- we can't waste our time figuring out how to get off an island! Right Lore-" He paused. "...Lorelei dear? Are you... alright?"

"X-Xellos..." She murmured, not even looking back up at the group. "Am I... am I really that ignorant...? Do I truly have a long way to go before I can honestly be called your apprentice...?"

"Wh-what?" Xellos was taken by surprise. Lorelei was usually so outgoing and self-confident, sometimes to the point of outright vanity. She was not the type to have her ego bruised so easily.

"You just forget about what that stupid girl said." Lina told Lorelei. "She's a traitor- what she has to say isn't important."

"B-but..." Lorelei sobbed. Suddenly, she was stopped by Xellos, who walked up to her and gave her a good knock over the head. "Ow~..." She murmured.

"Don't whine. Get up." Xellos commanded, his voice taking on a serious tone. Lorelei fearfully did as she was told. "Now, look me in the eyes." Lorelei was used to looking farther up when this happened, but now Xellos was only about half a head taller than she was, and she found it much easier for her crimson gaze to meet his familiar violet one. It was at least comforting to know that some part of him had remained the same. "Now, what is the problem?"

"I... well..." Lorelei began. "I'm not as experienced as Elmyria was... I didn't know things that I should have... I was being immature and not thinking things through... I'm such a failure... I'm not even fit to study from you..."

_WHACK!_

Everyone nearly gasped in surprise. Lorelei's eyes widened and her hand flew to her cheek where Xellos had struck it.

"Lorelei Emberizid Metallium, you are the single greatest apprentice that I have ever had in all my years training students." He said strictly, with a stern look toward her. "And I would be extremely disappointed if you were to take the word of a filthy traitor over your own mentor. Stop crying and get yourself together _now_."

Lorelei quickly obeyed. "Y-yes sir." She stammered.

"That was not loud enough. Who are you speaking to?"

"YES SIR, XELLOS!" She yelled.

He regarded her seriously for a moment, and then broke into a grin. "Alrighty, then! Moving on!" He said pleasantly, taking her hand to assure her that everything was alright. "Let's get back to the ship. The faster we can get off this island, the faster we can find Filia and put a stop to whatever El-chan and Valgaav are planning!"

"That was a scary side of Mister Xellos that I haven't seen in a long time..." Amelia murmured.

"He really takes his students seriously, I guess. I also think he's upset over Elmyria's disloyalty, and is annoyed by anything that she does. He's really irritated with her." Zelgadis agreed.

"Well, come on, then. We've got to find Filia. Her life may depend on it." Lina said, motioning for the others to follow.

"Right, Miss Lina!" Amelia said, grinning.

* * *

(A/N: Back to the death trap of a ship! To find Filia! When I began this, I really didn't expect to wait until chapter 9 to have Filia join the group... but it kind of worked out that way... anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!)


	9. 9: A Surprise Attack?

(Welcome to chapter 9! As always, I do not own Slayers- though that would be nice-, I'm just a fan writing stories. And finally some Filia! This story has been severely lacking her up to this point.)

* * *

**9- A Surprise Attack?**

It was a pleasant day in a coastal town- the sun warmed the lively streets while a comforting breeze blew off the ocean. People came and went in a bustling marketplace, talking and playing happily. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, so anyone who wasn't smiling and having fun stuck out from the crowd. A lady who worked in a bakery commented to a young woman who had stopped by to look at the bread, whose face was pulled into an anxious frown. "Why the long face, miss?" She asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm sorry." The young woman replied hastily.

"Surely it can't be nothing- not on a beautiful day such as today. Are you sure you're alright?" The baker asked.

"I'm fine." She replied, putting on a very fake smile. The baker didn't buy it.

"I don't mean to pry, but surely there must be something wrong. What is it? Relationship issues?"

"Oh no, most certainly not." The blonde woman assured the baker, shaking her head.

"Family troubles?" The baker continued.

"Well..." The young woman didn't want to lie. It was, after all, trouble within her family. "I suppose..."

"I see." The baker nodded. "Well, I certainly do hope that works out for you."

"Thank you." Filia murmured, happy that the lady wasn't going to ask her any further questions. She bought a loaf of bread as she had planned, and left the shop hurriedly.

Filia was still distraught- it had been two and a half weeks since she had discovered that Val's egg had been stolen, and she'd been frantic ever since. By this point, she was tired, mentally and physically, and this made her quite irritated. _Once I find the person responsible for this, I'm going to make them wish that they'd never been born... and if it turns out that _Xellos_ is the one responsible... then I'm going to make that jerk pay- _Filia suddenly stopped. _What am I thinking? If I were to go after revenge, then I'd be just as bad as whoever kidnapped Val in the first place! I'm so tired that I can't think straight!_

She'd noticed Xellos' strange absence just after the egg had been stolen. She figured that this probably meant that he was involved somehow. She was planning to interrogate him the next time he showed up on one of his regular visits, but... he never did show up. For the first week, Filia was just a little bit worried. Xellos normally stayed out on missions for a week or so at a time. But he always came at least once a week to 'check in on her' (meaning pick on her, make her angry, laugh at her, and/or break something important.)

But Xellos had been absent now for over two weeks. Meaning that something must be severely wrong. Filia wished that she knew where Xellos was, and what he was involved in, but she hadn't the slightest idea. She was too worried about finding Val at the moment to do anything about Xellos. Deciding that she wanted to get away from the crowded streets, she made her way to a back alley- a nice garden hidden amongst the houses where she was the only person. It was peaceful, and she enjoyed the lovely flowers that were growing around the gazebo. There were bushes teeming with brightly coloured azaleas, and boxes filled with pansies that were enjoying the slight chill in the weather. Filia felt completely at peace here, but unfortunately, it didn't last very long. She heard the footsteps of someone behind her, and turned around. "I'm sorry." She apologised. "I didn't anyone else came over here at this time of day-"

Filia stopped when she felt the overpowering evil that could only radiate from a monster. Her first thought was Xellos, but it was obvious right away that this person wasn't Xellos. "Wh-who are you?" Filia gasped. The man didn't reply. He took another step closer to her, pulling down the hood of his dark cloak. Filia felt her heart nearly stop. "No..." she murmured.

"Filia Ul Copt..." Valgaav began, his cold glare focused directly on the dragon.

"V-Valgaav..." Filia choked in confusion. "H-how... why... what...?"

Valgaav laughed, sending a wave of terror over the golden dragon. "What am I doing here? That's simple!"

Filia took a step back in trepidation as she locked eyes with him.

"I'm here to kill you, Filia."

* * *

"Ah! I'm so glad to get off that sorry excuse for a ship!" Lina said happily as the group strolled around the seaport.

"No kidding." Zelgadis agreed. "Xellos sure had that coming."

"You didn't have to nearly break his arm!" Lorelei whined.

"Oh, like you don't do that yourself..." Lina shot back.

"Not intentionally!" Lorelei defended. "So maybe I do grip a little bit hard when I hug someone, but that's not a problem!"

Lina rolled her eyes. "Gee, for a monster, you're such an idiot."

"SO WHAT?" Lorelei growled. "You say that Gourry's an idiot too!"

"Yeah, but he's _my_ idiot." Lina replied. "You're just an annoyance."

"How dare you call me an idiot and an annoyance?" Lorelei yelled. "She can't do that! Right, Xe- ...Xellos...?"

"Where'd he go?" Gourry asked.

"He was here just a second ago, but now..." Amelia began.

"Oh no! WE LOST XELLOS!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"It's not our fault. He lost us." Lina defended.

"But if he was the one who lost us, then wouldn't that make us the ones who are lost instead of him? We're not lost." Zara reasoned.

"Uh... he lost himself." Lina corrected. "Whatever it is, it's his fault."

"Why are you always blaming him for everything?" Lorelei asked.

"Because it's always his fault." Lina explained. "Remember when we got attacked by Elmyria? He was the one who trained her, so it's his fault that she was such a strong opponent."

"That's not true!" Lorelei yelled. "You heard what Xellos said about her being backed up by someone powerful! THAT'S not his fault!"

"While that may be true, brute strength alone is not enough to replace technique. You saw how she turned my sword on me, right? That was technique, not power. THAT was Xellos' fault." Zelgadis pointed out.

"B-but..." Lorelei began, but her voice trailed off as she realised that she didn't have an argument. "...He didn't _ask_ her to betray him..." she murmured.

"Well, let's go find our former-monster friend before he gets himself killed." Lina sighed.

* * *

"V-Valgaav... how... why?" Filia gasped.

"Well, it's nothing against you personally, but I have important tasks that must be accomplished, and I must insure that you will not interfere." Valgaav replied.

"Important... tasks...?" Filia stammered. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, but as my dear friend El would say, that information must remain undisclosed. It would be a waste of precious time to tell you as you would only take the information to your grave."

"Wh-what...?" Filia began, still not quite comprehending the fact that her life was in danger. "Y-you sound like Xellos! Do you know anything about him?" She wondered if Valgaav had anything to do with the fact that she hadn't seen Xellos for over two weeks.

"Of course I know about Xellos." Valgaav laughed. "I know that he's _dead_."

"Wha-" Filia blanched. It couldn't be... Not Xellos... She always told herself that she hated him, but the pang of terror that she felt upon hearing Valgaav's words made her wonder...

"Oh, don't look so hurt. I understand- El has told me all about your little, ah, _relationship_ with Zelas' general priest. At least you'll have the comfort of knowing that you'll soon be joining him." Valgaav pulled out a sword- the same one he had used to attack Zara- and lunged at Filia. It happened so fast that she didn't have any time to dodge. She flinched and prepared herself to be hit with an attack- ...but she wasn't.

Suddenly there was a shout and an enormous explosion. Filia felt a hand grab her own and pull her in another direction. She momentarily panicked, but calmed down when she realised that it couldn't be Valgaav. _Valgaav wasn't wearing gloves... _she thought to herself. _But who is this...?_

Filia followed the lead of the person in front of her, getting farther and farther away from where Valgaav stood, trying to figure out what had taken place. "Dang it... what the heck just happened?" He growled, attempting to see through the thick smoke still lingering from the explosion. "Filia!"

All Filia could think of at the moment was increasing her distance from the person who wanted to kill her. It took her a moment to pay attention to the person who had just rescued her. She looked at him incredulously. It was a human boy- not quite a child, but certainly not an adult either. He had grabbed her hand tightly and was pulling her through the maze of streets, dodging other people. Filia couldn't see his face, but she could see that he had dark-blonde hair that appeared as if it hadn't been brushed in... well, ever. His clothes were rather nondescript, from his brown vest to his dark grey gloves- one of which was still clutching her hand. She remembered that they were on the run from someone who wanted to kill her.

"Can't we run any faster?" She asked.

"S-sorry..." the boy panted, increasing his speed. "I'm trying. It's not like... humans have as much stamina... as dragons..."

Filia suddenly felt a wave of guilt. This kid had just saved her life, and here she was insulting him and trying to make him do things outside of his capabilities. Now that she mentioned it, they were running very fast already. This speed would be difficult to maintain for any human, much less a young one. She didn't say anything until the two of them turned into an alleyway and stopped, the boy pausing to catch his breath.

"I am... so sorry." Filia began. "I didn't mean to be so inconsiderate. I mean, you just saved my life!"

"No worries..." He replied, still slightly out of breath. "It's no problem, Miss Filia. I understand that you would be concerned for your life. Valgaav is a formidable opponent."

"Thank you... for saving me..." Filia continued. "But how do you know my name, and how do you know about Valgaav? Who are you?"

"Who am I?" The boy replied, looking up at her. Something about his violet eyes disconcerted Filia, but she didn't pay it any attention. "I'm actually a friend of some of your friends. Miss Lina and the others. Valgaav is targeting them as well- we came to find you so that we could warn you, but we were almost too late."

Filia caught a look of pain that flashed in his eyes momentarily when he said 'almost too late.' She wondered if that meant that he was really concerned about her. She'd never met anyone who looked like this before- or if she had, she didn't remember. Filia usually had a good memory for faces, especially unique ones, but she couldn't remember ever seeing someone with such a light complexion having such dark violet eyes that seemed to clash with the rest of his features.

"Have we met somewhere before?" She asked hesitantly.

"Perhaps we have." He replied cryptically. "In any case, we should continue moving. I have no idea where Valgaav could be, and we can't let him catch up to us. My bombs make good distractions, but I doubt that they could actually bring down a monster like him. Humans maybe, but not a monster."

"R-right. Where exactly are we going?" Filia stammered.

"We really should attempt to find Miss Lina and the others. I actually didn't tell them that I was leaving to find you, so they might be worried about me... or mad at me..." Xellos said.

"Why would they be mad at you for saving me?" Filia asked. "Amelia would say that it is unjust!"

"I wasn't talking about Amelia..." He sighed, and then muttered to himself. "I'm talking about the people who nearly broke my arm this morning..."

"What?" Filia didn't hear his last comment.

"Oh, nothing! Let's get going, shall we, Miss Filia?"

"Uh, right." She responded, feeling a bit more comfortable now. Certainly Miss Lina and the others would know what to do.

* * *

"Our search is getting us nowhere. There are just too many people." Zelgadis commented after they had spent a while looking for Xellos.

"Well, he has to be around here somewhere!" Lorelei exclaimed. "Maybe we should ask some people."

"Oh yeah, that'll go over well. 'Excuse me, but our friend is lost. Have you seen a little boy with blonde hair and purple eyes who looks like he's up to no good?" Lina said sarcastically. "They'll think we're crazy."

"Well, we can't just stand around and talk about it if we want to find him!" Lorelei said. "Maybe we sho-"

"Hey! Miss Lina! You guys!"

The group looked up to see Xellos running toward them through the crowd of people. "THERE YOU ARE!" Lina yelled, grabbing him by the front of the shirt. "HOW DARE YOU DISSAPEAR LIKE THAT? I swear, the next time you pull a stunt like this, I'm leaving you behind no matter how much Lorelei pesters me-"

"Miss Lina!" Everyone looked up to see Filia joining the group, looking slightly out of breath.

"F-Filia!" Lina gasped, dropping Xellos.

"Miss Lina, please don't get angry with him. If he hadn't been there, I would have been killed." Filia said.

"Miss Filia!" Amelia said. She turned to Xellos. "You saved her? Oh, how noble of you!"

"I wouldn't dare give Valgaav the satisfaction of killing her. That would not be good, now would it?" Xellos said, grinning.

"Well, at least we found Filia." Lina sighed. "That's good. So... Filia... other than apparently just having your life threatened, how've you been lately?"

"MISS LINA! How can you ask that? That's an awfully casual question! I've been worried sick over Val, and have been trying to find him for the past few weeks! And then when I finally do find him, he's... he's..." Filia looked as if she might cry.

"Now, now! There's no need for this sort of thing! Everything will work out, alright?" Xellos said, trying to calm Filia down.

Filia wiped the tears away from her eyes. "You've been so nice to me, thank you..." She paused. "...I just realised that you know my name, but I don't know yours. Who are you anyway?"

The entire group shot a glare at Xellos. They were not exactly thrilled that he had failed to tell Filia who he was. "Ah... well..." Xellos began. "You really... you can call me whatever you like. It doesn't matter."

Filia looked puzzled. "D-don't you have a name?"

"Maybe, but it's really not all that important." Xellos replied with a smile. "Just... think of something."

"Well, I'd really prefer to call you what Miss Lina and the others call you..." Filia responded, looking up at the group. "What name do you call him?"

"Uh..." Lina began.

"Well..."

"Um..."

"Enrico!"

Everyone turned to stare incredulously at Gourry. Filia gave him a confused look, but turned back to Xellos.

"Enrico? Is that what they call you?" She asked.

"I'll answer to that." Xellos nodded.

"Okay then... well, thank you so very much for helping me out, Enrico. You're such a nice person." Filia bowed her head in gratitude.

Xellos could hardly keep himself from bursting out laughing. Xellos, the filthy namagomi, a nice person? Oh, he was going to have some fun with Filia while she didn't know who he was!

Lina noticed Xellos' amused expression and frowned. It would have been so much better if they had come out and told Filia who he was. But unfortunately, Xellos seemed intent on keeping his identity a secret...

"Gourry!" Lina whispered harshly.

"What?" He responded.

"Where in the heck did that come from? _Enrico_?"

"It was the first name that came to my mind!" He defended. "I think I heard it off a song, or maybe a poem..."

"I think I've heard of an actor named Enrico. Do you think you could have been thinking of him?" Amelia asked.

"I always thought he was a poet, or maybe a playwright." Zelgadis commented.

"Does it really matter?" Lina growled. "Xellos is none of those things! Why did you encourage him to keep his identity a secret from Filia?"

"S-sorry... I wasn't thinking..." Gourry defended.

"As per usual..." Lina sighed.

"So... where do we go now?" Zara asked aloud, allowing Filia and Xellos to join their conversation.

"Well, we should really be trying to figure out what Valgaav and Elmyria are up to without getting ourselves killed..." Lina said. "In which case, the best place to go would be..." She paused for a moment to think. "...I have absolutely no idea..."

"We could go home." Gourry offered.

"Home? You mean to your house?" Filia asked.

"H-home? What do you mean 'we could go home?' What would that accomplish?" Lina growled.

"I mean, we could go back to our house with Zel and Amelia and Lorelei and Filia and Xe-_Enrico_." Gourry replied. "It would give us a place to stay, and we could have some time to think things over and work out a plan. Isn't that a good idea?"

"I think that's one of the most intelligent things I've heard you say." Lina sighed. "So... home it is."

"Yay! We get to go home!" Zara said happily.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go already then..." Lina sighed, motioning for the others to follow her. The group followed Lina chatting and talking about various things, but Filia was silent- lost in thought.

"Something wrong, Miss Filia?" Xellos asked, smiling at her.

"Oh, I was just... well..." Filia said. "Uh, if you don't mind me asking, how did you end up with Miss Lina and the others? Did you meet them somewhere?"

"Well..." Xellos began. "...that is actually a very long story, and unfortunately, I don't quite have the patience to tell long narratives... so, yes, I do mind you asking."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry." Filia nodded. "But, uh... there's something I wanted to ask them... do you..." she nearly choked. "...do you know anything about a monster named Xellos...?"

"Wh-what about him?" Xellos asked, trying not to make eye contact with her.

"Valgaav... told me... that he..." Filia paused, not wanting to say it, but willing herself to anyway. "He told me that Xellos was dead."

"WHAT?" Xellos gasped. He suddenly reminded himself that Valgaav would believe that he was dead... it was only Elmyria that knew he was still alive... and apparently she hadn't told her partner. "Oh, no, no, Miss Filia! I assure you, Xellos is very much alive!"

"H-he is?" Filia gasped. "How do you know?"

"I have... sources..." Xellos replied, looking away. "But the main thing is that he's not dead- he only made Valgaav and Elmyria believe that he was dead in order to better stop their plans, of course."

"Who is Elmyria?" Filia asked.

"She's a monster who used to work with Valgaav under the leadership of Gaav the Demon Dragon King- although she was originally a servant of Beastmaster Zelas..."

"That's Xellos' master!" Filia gasped.

"Right." Xellos nodded.

"So Xellos is alive after all?" Filia continued.

"Yes, so there's no need to worry about him." Xellos nodded. He grinned mischievously. "You like this Xellos much, don't you?"

"I-I..." Filia stammered, blushing. "I don't know what you're talking about! I hate him!"

"Oh? Then why are you acting so concerned?" Xellos continued, smiling even more.

"Well... er... because..."

"You know, I once told a friend of mine- 'denial is the most sure sign of true love." Xellos continued.

"S-say what? True love? Ridiculous! Absurd! Besides, that filthy monster can't even love, so there's no way that he'd love me back even if I did... er... well..." Filia replied, her voice trailing off. "Could we please change the subject?"

"Sure thing!" Xellos laughed. "You like pottery, right?"

"Oh yes!" Filia's face lit up.

"Do you have any favourites? I'm a fan of ceramics, myself..." He continued.

Filia joined this new conversation happily. _Xellos is alive, so there's no worrying now...and anyway, I think I'm going to like this boy! He seems so nice! _

* * *

"You LOST HER?" Elmyria shouted, looking as if she might fly into a fit of rage.

Valgaav cowered away from his partner, looking frightened. There were only two people in the entire world who could force him into submission in such a way, and one was trapped inside a crystal at the moment. "I'm sorry, El! I was just about to strike her, and suddenly there was an enormous explosion and a bunch of smoke... and... then she was gone! I haven't the slightest idea what happened!"

"Figures as much." Elmyria sighed angrily. "I shouldn't have asked you to do this job. You've already proven your incompetency multiple times..."

"Elmyria dear, please do not blame Valgaav for circumstances beyond his control. You know that he is a diligent worker and is a powerful opponent. But our adversaries are powerful as well." The voice from the crystal scolded.

"Hah. I fought Lina Inverse and her little friends. They were pathetically weak." El replied.

"Then why didn't you kill them then?" Valgaav demanded.

"Because that was YOUR JOB!" She yelled back.

"Why are you so concerned about these humans? Just forget them and focus on finding the last seven relics." The voice asked.

"I'm afraid that we might be sorry later if we do that." Valgaav sighed. "But if you wish it, then we'll follow, Lord Gaav."

"Good." The crystal replied. "We've wasted too much time already."

* * *

(A/N: I don't know where the name 'Enrico' came from, I just kind of pulled it off the top of my head. Apparently it's Italian... I remembered that there is a character from one of my favourite books named 'Enrico,' so the talk of actors and poets at the end was a reference to that Enrico. T.T)


	10. 10: Flash Back, Flash Forward

(We have reached 10 chapters! I'm so happy! There's a lot more to be learned in this chapter- if you couldn't tell from the title and the italicised text, it begins with a flashback. I do not own Slayers, though it's fun to write out the characters! ^.^ Enjoy!)

* * *

**10- Flash Back, Flash Forward**

_Elmyria walked the streets of the village, trying to determine where she wanted to go. "I can't believe it..." she murmured to herself. "I finally managed to escape from Zelas' prison, and now I don't even have a plan... onii-sama would be disappoint-" El stopped. "What am I saying? He's not my big brother! He's Xellos, and he's my enemy! I've got to get it together or I'll never figure out what to do! Alright..." She found a place to the side where she could stand and think. "Okay... so Lord Gaav is dead..." She grimaced at the thought. "And Valgaav failed to gain our revenge... so what can I do now?"_

_Suddenly, a group of children came running past her, talking excitedly. "Was he nuts? You know that no one has ever gone to the haunted house and come back to tell about it!"_

"_Well, he said that he'd get the jeweller's treasure no matter what kind of ghosts he had to fight... too bad he never got brave enough to actually try it!" The kids laughed. _

"_Excuse me..." Elmyria began. The children looked at her, startled. "Tell me, what were you talking about? A haunted house? Which no one has come back from alive?"_

"_Uh... well..." One of the kids began. "It's a house about two miles out of town... it used to belong to a gemstone expert by the name of Shichiro Hoseki... but one day, about three years ago, he suddenly vanished without a trace. No one knows what happened to him. They say that he had an enormous treasure trove of rare and valuable gemstones hidden in the house... but..."_

"_But what?" Elmyria asked. _

_Another kid continued. "But they say that the house is haunted by a ghost that guards the treasure and will kill anyone who enters..."_

"_A guarded treasure, eh..?" Elmyria murmured. Anyone could look at the myriad of jewellery displayed on her fingers and wrists, and tell that she had a weakness for treasure. "Sounds interesting..." _

"_You're not thinking of going there, are you lady?" One kid asked. "It's too dangerous!"_

"_I'll be the judge of that..."She replied, turning away from the village and heading toward the house. The kids watched as she walked away. _

"_She's going to die..." One of them whispered to his friends. Suddenly, Elmyria decided she was done with walking and simple teleported away. The kids stared in incredulity. _

"_Maybe not..." Another muttered. _

* * *

_Elmyria easily found the three-story building, standing ominously alone on top of the hill. _I suppose this is it... _she thought to herself. She could feel the presence of a monster inside, and decided to make her way in as stealthily as she could. El opened the door slowly and carefully, but-_

_KLI-KLINK!_

_Elmyria hadn't realised that there were bells on the door. She mentally slapped herself for being so careless. Years of being a prisoner had really dulled her skills. However, she didn't hear any movement from inside the house, so she assumed that it must be safe for her to enter. Creeping inside, she was grateful for once that she was wearing flat shoes rather than those high-heels that she always envied on Zelas. The front portion was a one-story shop- full of shelves that looked as if they might have held lots of items when this had once been a store. Now it was all a mess- rocks and gemstones scattered around in no particular order. Elmyria picked up a small amethyst and stared at it for a moment. It was beautiful, but..._

_She tossed it aside and turned her attention to some opals that caught her attention. Purple was not a colour that she particularly wanted to keep close. It reminded her of someone that she no longer wished to associate with. Venturing further into the store, she saw that there was a doorway leading to the actual house portion of the building. Seeing nothing of great value in the room that she was in, she decided that the infamous treasure must be located further in the house. She carefully checked the door this time, making sure that there were no bells on it, and opened it slowly and silently. _

_Elmyria was met with a living room containing a couch and an armchair next to a small bookshelf and a coffee table. To the left was the entrance to a large dining room, and to the right was a staircase that allowed access to the upper two floors. Venturing further into the dining room, El discovered another door which, upon inspection, didn't lead to another room- it led down to a basement. _

"_A basement, eh?" She murmured to herself. She slowly and carefully made her way down the stone steps, taking in her surroundings. The staircase led to a large room filled with bookshelves. "This must be the library..." she murmured. Peering into the room, she also noticed a large armchair. In the armchair there was a large red book, with a small grey cat lying idly on top of it. Elmyria could tell right away that the cat was actually a monster. She approached it cautiously, wondering whether or not it would be hostile toward her. Elmyria was also curious about the book that the cat was sitting on. She could feel an enormous volume of magical energy coming from it, but wasn't able to identify exactly what the energy was. As she approached, the cat opened one sapphire eye with a glare at the new monster that was encroaching upon her territory. A low growl escaped her throat as a warning for the intruder to move away. When El didn't, the cat sprung to her feet with a high pitched snarl._

"_Easy, girl. I'm not going to hurt you." Elmyria said, but the cat didn't listen. Approaching Elmyria slowly, she suddenly pounced. El created a ball of dark energy to blast the cat away, but the feline was back on her feet in an instant. The two of them exchanged physical and magical attacks for a brief period of time, before a disembodied voice stopped them._

"_That's quite enough, Riko." The voice commanded. Obediently, the cat stopped fighting and backed away from Elmyria. El searched for the source of the deep voice- that familiar voice that made her heart race. It couldn't be... It couldn't..._

"_Elmyria?" The voice questioned. Searching intently for the source, she quickly found herself drawn to the book that Riko had been sitting on. On the front cover was a pale green gemstone cut into four pieces- one large hexagonal piece, and three thin diamond shaped pieces radiating from the bottom of the hexagon. It was a strange formation, but even stranger was the possibility of the identity of the voice. "Is that you, Elmyria?" It asked again._

_El almost didn't dare to guess. "L-Lord Gaav...?" She stammered, waiting for the reply._

_The voice laughed slightly in response. "Good, I was almost afraid that you wouldn't recognise my voice. I would think that being trapped in a crystal might change it slightly."_

"_A-a little..." Elmyria admitted. "But... how did you... I thought... Zelas told me that you were killed by Hellmaster Phibrizzo..."_

"_That information is correct. However, there is more to the story. When I was destroyed, my spirit became trapped inside this crystal." He replied._

"_R-really?" El gasped. _

"_Elmyria, think. Would I be talking to you right now if it were not true?" He laughed._

"_I-I suppose not..." Elmyria responded, blushing slightly. She examined the book once more, looking over the beautifully detailed edges. Whoever had made this book had certainly put a lot of effort into it. They must have cared a lot to put so much work... or perhaps the information in the book was important... "It's incredible that you would end up like this..." she murmured. _

"_But I obviously don't want to stay like this. Elmyria, do you see this book?"_

"_Yes sir." She nodded. _

"_The jeweller who lived here was the one who ever-so-kindly attached the crystal to this book and wrote down the information contained inside it. This book contains the procedure that would allow a Dark Lord to be resurrected from a crystal such as the one that I am trapped in."_

"_R-resurrected...?" Elmyria gasped, her eyes glinting with hope. _

"_Yes... however, I very obviously cannot accomplish the task on my own... and the only servant I have at the moment is the book's appointed protector, Riko." _

_Elmyria glanced at the cat, who wore a green jewel around her neck as well. "I suppose that is Riko?" She asked. _

"_Correct. She was appointed to be the protector of the book before her master was killed, and she continues to perform her duty out of obedience to her former master. So she really isn't _my _servant, to tell the truth."_

"_I see." Elmyria nodded. "Well, she may not be your servant, but I am. And I will do everything in my power to assist you in any way possible."_

"_I am grateful to you, my dear Elmyria. Your loyalty is unfailing, even now. You're truly a special monster to have stayed devoted for all these years." The voice commented._

"_I-I..." Elmyria didn't know what to say. Her face turned red as she tried to think of an appropriate response. He had never really shown any emotion to her before, and she wasn't sure exactly how to react. "Th-thank you... Lord Gaav... for not losing faith in me... even though I was captured..."_

"_You are strong- as was Valgaav as well."_

"_Sir... you know that Valgaav is..." Elmyria began._

"_I know that Valgaav has been reborn as an ancient dragon egg, and is now in the care of a golden dragon named Filia. That is correct, is it not?" _

"_Yes, that is correct."_

"_Then we must revive him as well. Since he has already been reborn, it will not be difficult to change him back into a monster- and restore the memories of his previous life, of course."_

"_Of course. If that is the case, then we must hurry." Elmyria nodded."That does sound like a good plan..."_

"_Then we'll have to get our hands on that ancient dragon egg. There is one stipulation to the spell contained in this book as well."_

"_And... what is that?" She questioned. _

"_It must be performed on the night of a blue moon."_

_Elmyria gasped. "A... a blue moon? But the next one is in... less than three months!"_

"_I know. That's why we must hurry. There are extensive preparations that need to be done, including the collection of nine magical items necessary to provide the energy for the spell to work."_

"_Sounds complicated." Elmyria commented. _

"_It is very complicated, my dear. If you are not up to the challenge, then I respect your decision. You can back out now if you-"_

"_Never!" El gasped. "You know that I'd never turn my back on you, Lord Gaav!"_

"_Wonderful. Now, I would suggest making this house our home base, since it is convenient and no one occupies it at the moment."_

"_If you don't mind me asking... how did the former owner of this house die?" El questioned. _

"_He was killed by a sorceress." Was the simple reply._

"_A sorceress...?" Elmyria asked. "You mean a human?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I see..." Elmyria nodded."So what about Riko? What shall we do with her?"_

"_She must stay and protect the book, of course." The voice replied. "With her master destroyed, the only reason that she remains alive is because of her task to protect this book. If she were to become separated from it, then she would die."_

"_How terrible..." Elmyria said, glancing at the cat. Riko really was quite cute, when she wasn't trying to attack you. "That settles it, then. First we'll get Valgaav, and then we'll get the materials for this spell. And once you're resurrected, then you can get revenge yourself. It's perfect."_

"_Correct, my dear... perfect indeed..." _

* * *

"El? Hey, El?"

Elmyria was sitting on the balcony of the house, engrossed in a book about gemstones that she had taken from the library. It was late at night, but of course she could easily read with light she produced herself. "What is it, Valgaav?" She growled.

"I was just thinking... I'm afraid that, if we don't do something about Lina Inverse and her friends, then we're going to seriously regret it later." He said.

"Going against Lord Gaav's orders? Are you _insane_?" She gasped.

"No, no! Lord Gaav's word still stands! I just..." He sat down on the bench beside her.

"You just what?" She asked, her tone softening slightly.

"I just can't ignore my instincts. Those humans have thwarted our plans before, from what you and I have seen, they are intent on doing it again." Valgaav sighed.

"You'd need a good plan this time. I know I said that they were weak... but... I'm not sure anymore..." El sighed. "While I was a prisoner of Zelas, I heard bits and pieces of the stories that Xellos had collected on them. Apparently they're a tough group of humans."

"I know. I fought them. They're quite determined." Valgaav agreed. "But this time I do have a plan."

"Oh?" El asked curiously.

"Yes. I've decided that they are a much more formidable group when together. If we split them up, then their power diminishes dramatically. I figured that I could go, kidnap two of them, and bring them back here. Then you could be in charge of killing one, and I'll take the other. They'll be no match for us alone." Valgaav grinned.

"I suppose that would work... you know, you're really not as much of an imbecile as you let on..." Elmyria replied, smiling. Valgaav felt a surge of pride. If Elmyria smiled at your plans, then they must be good.

"I'll ask Lord Gaav for his permission, and if he agrees, then I'll get right to work. It's already dark, so the humans should be unsuspecting. This is the perfect time to strike." Valgaav said, grinning.

"Perfect." Elmyria replied.

* * *

Lina and the others sat around a campfire, busy catching up with Filia. They had explained all the stories behind Valgaav and Elmyria's attacks- at least what they knew. It had been a whole day since Filia joined the group, and she was curious as to how her friends had been doing since she had seen them last.

"So, Miss Amelia, Mister Zelgadis," She began. "How have the two of you been doing? Has everything been going well in Seyruun?"

"Of course! Seyruun is a happy and prosperous country!" Amelia enthused. "Under my father's leadership, everything is going well!"

"That's good. How about you, Zelgadis? You're happy with the way things are in Seyruun, correct?" Filia replied.

"Oh, in Seyruun? I suppose." He nodded simply.

"Uh... alright..." Filia realised that she probably shouldn't have expected Zelgadis to give her such an enthusiastic response. She had assumed that Amelia's personality might have rubbed off on him, even just a little bit, but he seemed to be the same person she had known before. "And what about Miss Lina and Mister Gourry. You two have been quite happy, right?"

"Absolutely perfect." Lina replied, smiling. "We have a great house, though I still get to travel around all the time as a *cough* merchant. Zara is the greatest kid any parent could ever ask for, and I've always got him and Gourry around when I need them. Life is great." She paused. "...well, except for when people are trying to _kill_ me...but..."

"Of course..." Filia sighed in agreement. "Well, it's nice that things have been going so well for you. Say, Enrico?"

"Hmm?" Xellos looked up at Filia- he truthfully hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation.

"I wanted to know how you ended up with Miss Lina and her friends. How did you meet them?" Filia questioned. Xellos stared at her for a moment, his mind racing, trying to figure out what to say. He wouldn't, _couldn't _lie to her. But what was he supposed to say...?

"He actually knew me before he met Lina and the others." Lorelei interjected. Xellos flashed her a grateful smile. It was, after all, the truth.

"Oh, I see." Filia nodded. "So how did the two of you meet?"

"I helped Lorelei out once when she had a broken wing." Xellos replied. "It was no big deal, really."

_That _was almost a lie- it had been a big deal, at least to Lorelei, whose life he had saved by his act of semi-kindness.

"Oh, I see. You really are a nice person." Filia said, giving Xellos a warm smile that slightly unnerved him. But he found himself smiling back at her involuntarily. Were smiles really that contagious for humans? He blushed slightly and turned away so that he wouldn't be forced to see her expression anymore.

"Like I said, no big deal..." He shrugged.

"Enough about us, how have you been, Miss Filia?" Amelia asked.

"Who, me? Oh, I guess I've been doing alright. Business in my little shop is really picking up, and..."

"Excuse me, I don't mean to be bothersome, but I'm afraid that I must intrude."

A jolt of fear and panic passed through the group as they heard the vaguely familiar voice echoing toward them. Lina and Gourry stood up defensively and Lorelei grabbed hold of Xellos. "V-Valgaav...?" Filia gasped.

"What are you doing here?" Lina demanded. It was the first time she had actually seen Valgaav since the Dark Star incident, and wasn't sure what to expect from him.

"You don't have to worry, I'm not going to hurt you..." He replied, grinning. "...at least not here..."

"What?" Filia gasped. The group stood warily as Valgaav seemed to study them for a moment, as if he was trying to pick his target. Suddenly, in one swift motion, he lunged forward, grabbing Zara. The little boy began to scream in response.

"Zara!" Lina shrieked. "You put him DOWN!"

"Not likely, Lina Inverse..." Valgaav replied. "It seems like _someone _doesn't know how to be a good little boy and die when they're supposed to."

Zara continued screaming, trying to escape the monster's firm grip. The closest member of the group made an effort to rescue him. "You fiend! Picking on innocent children like that! As a Warrior of Justice, I cannot allow you to get away with your evil de- AH!" Amelia was suddenly cut off as Valgaav grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.

"Oh yes, I think you'll do nicely too. El will be happy with me for getting her such amusing prey." He turned his gaze up to the rest of the group, who were trying their best to get close to him. Valgaav put up a barrier of magical energy around him to prevent them from reaching him. "Don't be so upset. I haven't forgotten about you. I'll return for the rest of you once these two are dead. Farewell for now."

He quickly teleported away, causing the magical barrier to dissipate. Lina and her friends stood, shocked at how fast everything had happened. Just a few minutes ago they had been sitting and talking peacefully, and now...

Now all of a sudden, they were two group members short.

Zelgadis was the first person to speak again. "AMELIA!" He gasped, running to the spot where Valgaav had been standing before disappearing. "Zara... Amelia..."

"Where..." Filia gasped. "Where did Valgaav take them?"

* * *

(A/N: You know... I've noticed that poor Amelia and Zara are always the ones to get picked on... is that odd? Anyway, I had a LOT of fun writing the scenes where Elmyria explores the house. I guess I just really enjoyed revisiting an old setting that I hadn't written about in a long time. How nostalgic~ ^.^ Don't forget to review and tell me how you think it's going! ...if you'd like to...)


	11. 11: Escape Plan!

(Hey there! Now we're up to the eleventh chapter! This is a bit of a shorter one... sorry... BUT I feel the plot thickens a bit, so hopefully that'll make up for it! ^.^ And I do not own Slayers, I'm just borrowing the characters to twist them around in my carefully devised plot. Mwahahaha... anyway, enjoy.)

* * *

**11- Escape Plan!**

Valgaav appeared in the living room of the house, still holding Amelia and Zara. He dropped them abruptly to the floor and snapped his fingers, creating a spell that bound them so that they couldn't move.

"For the sake... of all... that is just... untie us... now!" Amelia gasped.

"Not likely." Valgaav laughed. Elmyria joined him, looking at the pair curiously.

"So, these are the two that you chose?" She asked.

"To begin with, yes. You can take the girl- the child is mine." Valgaav grinned.

"Wh-where are we?" Amelia demanded. She looked around curiously. "This place looks familiar... it looks like... Mister Shichiro's house..." She gasped. "But that's impossible! Miss Lina destroyed him!"

Elmyria laughed. "So it was Lina Inverse who destroyed the jeweller that lived here? Should have expected as much. Anyway, I'm glad that you're familiar with the place. It might make your death more pleasant."

"Our death? How could you?" Amelia gasped. "You horrible monsters! All who act for the purpose of evil shall be brought to Just-" Amelia was cut off as the ropes wrapped tighter around her.

"Oh no! Amelia!" Zara yelled, seeing his friend in danger. "MEGA BRAND!" The little boy created an enormous explosion, freeing himself from the magical ropes that held him. He rushed to Amelia's side, easily freeing her as well.

"Nice work, Zara-chan!" She congratulated, giving him a big hug. Suddenly, a blast from Elmyria separated them. Amelia was thrown back and hit the small bookshelf. Zara was sent spiralling in the other direction where he was easily caught by Valgaav.

"So, I see you can put up a fight when it suits you." Valgaav said, grinning at the boy. "You're an interesting hybrid- I didn't notice how much monster you had in you before. I guess you can only attack when you've got friends around to protect. In that case, we should get rid of the princess first. "

"Don't you dare pick on Zara-chan!" Amelia yelled. "He hasn't done anything wrong! You're the ones who are acting unjust! Friends are supposed to be together, to support each other and help one another! What you're doing is splitting them up and imparting your unjust ways upon them! As a Warrior of Justice, I cannot allow this to happen! For your injustice, you shall punished severely! ELMIKIA LANCE!"

Amelia jumped at Elmyria the attack in her outstretched hand prepared to strike. However, Elmyria shot forward toward the girl, grabbing her wrist and twisting her away, tossing her against the opposite wall. Amelia tried to get up, but had trouble. She attempted to steady herself against the wall, but winced in pain as she attempted to put pressure on her injured wrist.

"You speak of injustice and friendship?" Elmyria asked, standing over her threateningly. "How dare you reprimand us for our actions when you don't even have any idea as to what our objective is?" She held out the red book for Amelia to see. "If you would take the time to listen, you'd find that we're only trying to come to the aid of a friend that needs our help."

"A... a friend...?" Amelia gasped. Had she been wrong about these monsters the whole time?

"Of course. How do you think it must have pained him to be forced to reside within the confines of a crystal for all these years, with no company or hope for revival? Patiently waiting for someone to discover his plight, not knowing whether that person would be a friend or foe? Does it seem so wrong that we, as people who care about him, would wish to help him? Are we doing wrong in our quest to help release Lord Gaav from the confines of this crystal prison that have so long held him captive? Is this the _injustice_ that you were talking about?" Elmyria asked pointedly, staring at Amelia with her stark gold eyes that only gave the slightest hint of the emotion with which she spoke.

"Well said, my dear." The crystal's deep voice congratulated.

"I-I..." Amelia began, feeling confused and unsure of what to do. Elmyria had made an undeniable point, but the details of their plan were alarming. Gaav the Demon Dragon King? Amelia had to admit, the voice that had come from the crystal did sound eerily familiar. Amelia was conflicted. She remembered what Xellos had said about Elmyria's relationship to the Demon Dragon King, and she knew Valgaav's loyalty to him. They must care about him a great deal, and it must pain them greatly to see him trapped and helpless like this. But, on the other hand, it was the Demon Dragon King that they were talking about. What kinds of things would he attempt to do once revived? Amelia couldn't figure out what the just thing to do would be.

"I..." She began. "I know that you must be greatly upset by this... but... you can't just go around killing many people to justify reviving one person! That is unfair and unjust! Your evil ways may be helping one person, but they are hurting many more! And for that, I cannot allow you to continue!"

Elmyria narrowed her eyes angrily at the princess. "I'm sorry that you feel that way." She reached out and grabbed Amelia by the neck, attempting to choke her.

"Amelia!" Zara yelled, trying to get out of Valgaav's clutches. "FLARE ARROW!" The attack was enough to distract the monster momentarily, while Zara leaped toward Elmyria, firing another set of flaming arrows. El let go of Amelia and deflected the arrows easily. Zara gasped, a look of fear on his face.

"Zara-chan!" Amelia yelled. "Do something! Sing a song about love and Justice!"

"R-right!" Zara nodded, and began to sing a song that Amelia had once taught him, full of praise for the wonders of life and love. Valgaav and Elmyria immediately covered their ears- but not because of the words at first.

"What is the matter with that child? Is he tone-deaf?" Valgaav asked.

"Don't just stand there, you idiot! Do something!" Elmyria growled.

"What do you want me to do? Give him singing lessons?" Valgaav asked.

"KILL HIM!" She yelled.

"R-right!" Valgaav nodded, taking off after Zara.

"Zara-chan! Quick! Run!" Amelia yelled, staggering to her feet. Zara followed Amelia's orders, and he rushed as fast as he could out of the room. Pausing for a moment to figure out where he should go next, he chose the staircase, and bounded up it, taking two steps at a time, even though Lina had told him that wasn't a good thing to do. The situation did call for bending a few rules, he decided. Amelia followed quickly behind him, catching up to the boy easily. However, they were not fast enough to escape Elmyria and Valgaav. The pair of monsters suddenly appeared in the upstairs hallway, one on one side and one on the other. Amelia and Zara were trapped.

"Hah, you thought that you could escape us that easily?" Valgaav asked.

"Fools. You're only prolonging the inevitable." Elmyria agreed.

Amelia looked around warily. "I guess this is what they mean when they talk about being trapped between the Scylla and Charybdis..." She murmured.

"What?" Zara asked.

"I said, we're caught between a rock and a hard place." Amelia repeated.

"Yikes..." Zara murmured.

"Are you finally going to give yourselves up to us now?" Elmyria asked, sounding annoyed.

"Not until you give yourselves up to Justice!" Amelia replied enthusiastically. "It's not too late to change your evil ways!

"Hmph. Foolish humans. Now, you're going to die." Elmyria replied, narrowing her eyes.

* * *

"Alright, now we won't get anything accomplished if we don't calm down!" Filia instructed.

"Calm down? You expect me to calm down? Filia! That monster has my son! How exactly are we supposed to be calm about this?" Lina growled frantically.

"Filia's right. As much as we want to panic, we can't let ourselves get carried away." Zelgadis said, practically choking on half the sentence in an attempt to follow his own advice.

"So where the heck did he take them?" Lina yelled. "If we don't know, then they could be getting hurt or _killed_ as we speak! Isn't that what Valgaav wants?"

"Yes... but..." Filia murmured, wondering how she was supposed to cheer Lina up now.

"But what?" Lina snapped.

"Don't worry, Lina. I'm sure it'll be alright." Gourry said, wrapping his arms around her.

Lina clung to her faithful protector tightly. "How can you say that, Gourry?"

"Well... nothing good will come of thinking negative thoughts, so..." Gourry replied.

"That's right!" Filia replied. "We have to think positive!"

"What is so positive about my best friend getting kidnapped by a monster who want s to kill him? Valgaav nearly killed him once! I saw it! It was terrible!" Lorelei yelled frantically.

"Lorelei, think about it. Valgaav and Elmyria want all of us. Not just those two. They're probably using them as bait to lure the rest of us in so that they can kill us all at once. In that case, Miss Amelia and Zara would have to be kept alive to be used as bait. So surely they're still alive." Xellos reasoned.

The entire group seemed to consider this for a moment. "That... makes sense..." Lorelei murmured.

"I suppose so... but..." Lina began.

"But what? Do you have a better idea, Miss Lina?" Xellos asked.

Lina realised that she kind of did want to believe Xellos' idea- and it did make sense after all. Though she hadn't forgotten what Valgaav had said to them: 'I'll return for the rest of you when these two are dead.' That was not a promising response from him. It was much nicer to believe that Zara and Amelia were being held hostage- hostages were usually treated pretty well, weren't they?

"I... guess I don't..." Lina murmured.

"You really are smart too, Mister Enrico!" Filia said happily. "Not to mention really nice."

Xellos could hardly keep from laughing. It was too funny! Filia, paying all these compliments to him? This was turning out better than he had hoped! Lina caught his emotions, and sent him a fierce glare that told him 'this is no time to be fooling around!'

"Anyway, our goal now is to find them." Xellos continued seriously.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Zelgadis asked, also glaring angrily at Xellos.

"Well..." Xellos paused for a moment, glancing around at the people staring at him anxiously. "... you can't expect me to have all the answers!"

"YOU!" Lina growled, grabbing Xellos by the collar of his shirt. "DON'T SUGGEST THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO!"

"M-Miss Lina!" Filia exclaimed, grabbing Xellos and pulling him out of Lina's grip. "That's not nice! After all the kind things he's done for us! Don't pick on him!" She turned her attention back to the boy, checking to make sure he wasn't injured. "You're okay, right? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"N-No, of course-" Xellos began, but suddenly seemed to get an idea. Clutching Filia tightly, he looked up at her with a big, innocent expression. "Miss Filia, why does Lina always attack me? I didn't think I did anything wrong... but she's always hurting me... make her stop, please..."

"Hey! What are you talking about? Don't go trying to make yourself the victim here!" Lina yelled.

Filia hugged Xellos protectively. "Stop getting mad at him! He's a wonderful person- you're the one who's being mean! Quit it right now!" She turned back to Xellos. "Don't worry, I won't let Miss Lina hurt you. Come on now, it's okay. Don't cry."

Xellos' "crying" was actually him trembling from trying so hard not to burst out in a fit of laughter. Filia, the golden dragon, defending the filthy monster, Xellos? It was so insane, it was funny!

"Can we please focus on Amelia and Zara right now?" Zelgadis asked angrily. He also picked up on Xellos' little act, and was not pleased with it. Actually, 'not pleased' was an understatement.

"I can attempt to trace Valgaav and Elmyria on the astral plane." Lorelei offered. "It might be kind of hard, because I've only seen each of them once in my life, but..."

"That might be our best bet." Xellos agreed, still standing next to Filia. "Since El-chan was created by Lord Beastmaster, you would probably have an easier time locating her. The magical signature will be most familiar to you."

"That makes sense." Lorelei nodded. "But... what if they've somehow managed to avoid being found. What then?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Xellos replied.

"The only problem is that, since they can teleport, we have no idea how far away they could have gone. They could be hundreds of miles away for all we know." Lina commented.

"And they could be in some place that is inaccessible to humans." Zelgadis agreed.

"Hey, hey! Remember, if they're being used as hostages, then Valgaav and El-chan WANT us to find them! Remember?" Xellos reminded them.

"That's right!" Filia agreed.

"I guess so..." Lina sighed. "That's a good idea, in theory at least."

"Right. So let's keep working. We'll find them. Don't worry." Xellos said.

* * *

"Zara-chan! This way!" Amelia yelled, grabbing Zara's hand and dragging him in the opposite direction. The two were trapped between Elmyria and Valgaav, but unfortunately for the monsters, they had caught the two where the door to the balcony was. It was a simple mistake, but a vital one.

Amelia and Zara now had a way to escape.

Amelia grabbed the little boy and dragged him with her through the door. Elmyria and Valgaav rushed after them, and so Amelia shut the door tightly and locked it from the outside. She rushed to the edge of the balcony, still holding Zara's hand.

"Why'd you lock the door?" He asked.

"Well... I guess I thought that it would... I don't know..." Amelia stammered, realising how foolish it seemed now. Their opponents were monsters. They could just teleport through the door, or...

_CRASH!_

Elmyria and Valgaav created an explosion that blasted the door open. "Hah! You didn't think that locking the door could do much good against us, did you?"

"I guess not..." Amelia replied. "Come on, Zara-chan!" She grabbed the little boy and rushed to the edge of the balcony. "RAY WING!"

"Oh no you don't! You're not getting away so easily!" Valgaav yelled, chasing after them.

Amelia flew frantically, trying to outrun... er, outfly, her pursuer.

"Amelia! Where are we going?" Zara yelled.

"Anywhere but here, Zara-chan!" She replied. Suddenly, there was a large explosion behind them.

"We're gonna die!" Zara shrieked frantically.

"Calm down!" Amelia exclaimed, trying to soothe the boy and dodge Valgaav's attacks at the same time. _There's got to be some way to outrun him... perhaps if I created a distraction... oh! That's it!_

"Zara-chan, you know levitation, right?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah, why...?"

"I'm going to try distracting Valgaav, and I can't be holding you when I fire the spell, or I could hurt you." She explained.

"Wh-what?" Zara gasped. "Amelia!" The boy clung to his friend even tighter.

"I'm sorry, Zara-chan, but we've got to get away from Valgaav somehow! We're going to get nowhere just trying to dodge his attacks and hope he leaves us alone!"

"B-but-" Zara stammered, but he knew that she was right. "Levitation!" He called, allowing himself to be released from Amelia's grip.

Amelia turned back toward Valgaav and incanted a powerful white magic spell. It would not be enough to harm him that much, but it would be a sufficient distraction. Taking Zara by the hand, Amelia made her way as fast as she could away from the house where Valgaav and Elmyria had taken them.

* * *

"Impossible! Impossible! They couldn't have gotten away so quickly!" Valgaav clenched his teeth angrily. The two prisoners he had captured somehow managed to escape. It wasn't possible!

Elmyria was waiting for him on the balcony of the house. "El!" He snapped. "Where were you? You could have helped me!"

Elmyria simply glared at him. "This. Was. YOUR. idea." She growled.

"But I just don't get it! It's not possible! They shouldn't have-"

"It doesn't matter what should have happened and what actually happened. What matters is that we need to stop wasting time like this. Perhaps the humans will take this as a warning to stay out of our way. But we can't waste our time trying to get rid of them. Lord Gaav is right, going after them is only asking for unneeded trouble."

"Fine..." Valgaav sighed angrily.

* * *

(A/N: Poor El and Val, I almost feel sorry for them- they never have any luck with Lina and her friends! And now Amelia and Zara know what those two are after!)


	12. 12: Reunions and Revelations

Here we are at chapter 12... and I think my titles just keep getting worse... T.T Anyway, as always, I don't own Slayers, I just like to mess with the characters a little bit. Feel pity for them, you guys. Nevertheless, enjoy the story. ^.^

* * *

**12- Reunions and Revelations **

"I can't believe that we managed to get away from them..." Amelia sighed.

"That was... really scary..." Zara agreed, clinging to Amelia closely.

"But we're here in a town now, so we might as well find someplace to sleep..." Amelia sighed, looking around. It was already so late at night, she and Zara were exhausted. They found a small inn in the village and went to see if anyone was there.

"Hello?" Amelia called. There was silence, but then a voice answered them.

"Excuse me! I'll be right there!" After a few moments, a middle-aged woman came running out into the lobby to meet the guests who had arrived so late at night. "Hi, can I help you?"

"Hi..." Amelia began. "I'm sorry. I know it's late... could we possibly get a room to stay for the night...?"

"Of course." The woman replied, smiling. "Is it just the two of you?"

"Yes." Amelia nodded.

"That's fine. Is a room with just one bed alright? We don't have any others open at the moment."

"Oh yes, that's perfect." Amelia replied. "After the night we've had, I don't think either of us would want to sleep by ourselves."

Zara nodded in agreement, still clinging closely to Amelia.

"Fine then. Follow me." The woman said, motioning Amelia and Zara down a hallway. Amelia could see the politely restrained curiosity in the lady's eyes as she looked at them. It was obviously not common to see a young woman and a little boy coming into the inn alone, and so late at night. And after Amelia had mentioned that they'd had a rough night... well, now the innkeeper was more than curious.

"Here it is." The woman said, motioning to a door and handing them a key. "Should I come back in a few minutes to make sure that everything is alright?"

Amelia could tell that the woman's politeness was an attempt to learn more about the mysterious travellers, and she decided that it might be nice to have someone to talk to. "That would be awfully kind of you. Thank you very much."

"No problem." The woman replied, smiling. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Amelia and Zara sat down on the bed, letting their exhaustion sink in. They were tired, but at least they were safe.

"I want Lina..." Zara murmured sadly.

"I know you do." Amelia sighed. "I know how you feel." She couldn't say how much she wanted Zelgadis to be there by her side, telling them that everything would be okay. "But... all we have right now is each other. So..."

Amelia took Zara in her lap and held him closely, the way Lina sometimes did. "Thanks Amelia..." Zara murmured contentedly. She could tell that he was already beginning to fall asleep. There was a slight knock on the door, though Zara was nearly asleep by this point, and Amelia didn't want to wake him up.

"Come in. The door is open." She called. The woman from earlier entered the room, with the same curious expression on her face. Her expression softened when she saw Amelia sitting on the bed, cradling Zara in her lap.

"I was just coming to make sure everything was alright." She said.

"Thank you. You can sit down if you'd like." Amelia said, smiling to show the woman that she was welcome.

The lady sat down on the opposite side of the bed, observing the two visitors. She motioned toward Zara. "He's an adorable little boy." she commented. "Is he your son?"

"No." Amelia shook her head. "I'm just looking after him for a friend right now."

"I see." The woman nodded. "So you're babysitting?"

"Sort of..." Amelia replied. "You see, we were travelling with his parents, my husband, and some friends, and the two of us got... _separated_..."

"Oh dear. That's terrible." The woman gasped.

"Don't worry. We'll find them." Amelia assured her. "He's just a little upset right now because he misses his mother. They're very close." she explained.

"That makes sense. The poor boy." The woman sighed, reaching over to stroke Zara's hair the way Amelia was. She turned back to Amelia. "Do you have any children?"

The woman's question had been simple and offhand, but she instantly regretted it when she saw Amelia's expression change.

"No..." Amelia murmured sadly. "...I... wish I did..."

"Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." The woman began, not sure how to handle the situation.

"It's quite alright." Amelia said, trying to smile again. "No need for you to get upset as well."

They both sat in silence for a moment, not sure what to say next. The woman was afraid to say anything else, not wanting to pry too much into Amelia's life. The princess was the first to speak.

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"Do you have any kids?"

"Who? Me?" The woman began, flushing slightly. She didn't want to sound as if she were bragging, but she couldn't exactly lie to the traveller. "Actually, I have four..."

"Oh wow." Amelia replied, her eyes sparkling warmly. Her smile made it apparent that there were no hard feelings between them. "That's fantastic. I'm sure they're all wonderful. How old are they?"

"The oldest is ten, and the youngest is two." The woman replied. "And yes, they are all wonderful. But I suppose I'm biased because I am their mother..."

"You're supposed to be." Amelia replied. "I know that Zara-chan's mother thinks that he's the most wonderful child ever."

"Is he an only child?" The woman asked.

"Yes." Amelia nodded. "He's adopted, actually. His mother didn't like him at first, but he clung to her side anyway, and she eventually grew to love him..."

"How sweet." The woman commented. "I do feel bad for the circumstances that some children are forced to live in. There are many children whose parents don't want them, or abuse them... and then there are so many people that want children and would treat them well, but don't have any for... _whatever reason_..." She just left it at that, not wanting to say anything that would make Amelia upset again.

"That's true. The injustice in this world is sometimes overwhelming." Amelia replied thoughtfully. "Even young children are not protected from it."

"It is terrible..." The woman agreed. The two of them sat contemplatively for a moment. The woman suddenly stood up. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to keep you awake! You must be tired!"

"Don't worry about it. It's been nice having someone to talk to." Amelia replied, smiling. "I'm Amelia, by the way."

"Christine." The woman replied, motioning toward herself. "I suppose I should be going now. Will you be up early tomorrow?"

"Probably." Amelia replied. "I want to find our friends as soon as possible."

"Well, we have breakfast downstairs whenever you wake up." Christine replied as she began to leave. "Sleep well, Miss Amelia."

"Same to you, Miss Christine." Amelia replied.

* * *

"Lina, you can't keep this up..." Gourry sighed, grabbing Lina by the arm. "You need to get some rest."

"I will not... I won't rest... until we find... Zara and Amelia..." Lina replied weakly.

"You said it! I'm not giving up for anything either!" Zelgadis agreed. Lina looked at him in disgust and slight envy. He didn't have as much stamina as he'd had when he was part golem, but the demon in him still allowed him to stay alert for much longer than normal humans.

"I just... want to teach that... stupid Valgaav... a lesson..." Lina continued. "Once we get Zara back... if that monster so much as _touches_ my son ever again in his miserable life... he'll wish that he'd never been resurrected..."

"Right. But we've got to think about getting them back first." Zelgadis nodded. "I'm thinking about searching the nearest town... I suppose that we may find some clues there... hopefully."

"But... how far... is the town...?" Filia yawned. "I don't see any lights nearby..."

"Probably a couple hours' journey." Zelgadis replied. "If we can get there soon, then..."

"Then WHAT? All the humans will be asleep, so it won't be of any use to us if we get there right now." Lorelei exclaimed. "And I'm sick of seeing you guys pushing yourselves like this. When you're this tired you don't have the energy to feel any emotions, negative or otherwise. You guys need some rest, NOW. Look! Even Xe-_Enrico _here is half-asleep already!"

"...am _not_... tired..." Xellos murmured, leaning against Lorelei's shoulder. He was, indeed, half-asleep.

"For once, I agree with Lorelei." Gourry said. "We're never going to get anything done if we're tired like this."

"Maybe... you're right... but... but..." Lina began.

"Let's stop here and rest, even if it's just for a couple of hours. Everyone needs to get their strength back up." Gourry continued, putting his arms around Lina. "We'll find them; don't worry."

"I'm not..._that _worried... jellyfish..." Lina murmured. She was beginning to fall asleep as well.

"I guess we should start out again at sunrise." Zelgadis said. "That ought to give us about four hours. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds great." Filia sighed, sitting down against a tree. It wasn't long before she fell asleep. Despite his protests, Xellos was asleep almost immediately as well, leaning against Lorelei's shoulder. The young monster usually didn't sleep, but sometimes if she was especially tired or stressed out, she could come pretty close- and having your best friend kidnapped definitely could make a person tired and stressed. Lina fell asleep in Gourry's arms, and the swordsman was almost asleep himself. In fact, Zelgadis thought that he was asleep, until he stood up and was surprised to hear Gourry's voice calling him.

"Zelgadis? Get some rest too." Gourry murmured.

"G-Gourry? Uh... but I..."

"I know you don't think you need any, but it's probably a good idea. It would be torture to sit here doing nothing while the rest of us slept. And I _know_ that you wouldn't ditch us and go off looking for Amelia by yourself. She would certainly consider that unjust of you, don't you think?" Gourry continued.

Zelgadis cursed under his breath. He had hoped that no one would see him leave. But Gourry had years of experience with Zel, and was used to the times when the chimera would sneak off in search of his cure, leaving the rest of his friends behind. "I guess... I can try to get a little sleep..." He muttered.

"Good. Morning will be here sooner than you think..." Gourry replied, slipping back to sleep himself.

* * *

"Excuse me, but I was wondering if you could help us. We're looking for some people." Zelgadis said to the baffled-looking woman at the inn that they had visited. After getting some sleep, they set out to the nearby village to get any information on their friends. The woman at the inn had gotten an incredibly surprised look on her face to see six very different-looking people enter her inn at one time, obviously in a group.

"Wh-what do you need to know about?" She asked.

"We're looking for a young woman and a small child." Zelgadis explained.

"A young woman and a small child...?" The woman began, looking contemplatively at the group of travellers. "You're not talking about... Miss Amelia and Zara, are you?"

As soon as Lina heard the boy's name, she practically grabbed Christine. "What? You know them? Where are they? What happened to them? They were here?"

"Th-they..." Christine stammered, a shocked look on her face.

Gourry put his hand on Lina's shoulder. "Calm down." He murmured.

"They stayed the night here- part of it, anyway. They were rather late getting in, but they checked out early this morning. I think they were looking for you." Christine replied.

"So they were here? Just now?" Zelgadis asked hopefully.

"Yes, I actually had a long discussion with Miss Amelia. You wouldn't happen to be her husband, would you?" Christine asked.

"That's me." Zelgadis nodded.

"And you two are... Zara's parents...?" She continued, turning to Lina and Gourry.

"He doesn't have any others." Lina replied.

Christine nodded. "Okay, and you must be her friend." She said to Filia.

"That's right." Filia responded.

Christine motioned toward Lorelei and Xellos. "Are these two yours?" She asked the dragon.

"M-mine? As in my children?" Filia gasped.

"WHAT?" Lorelei and Xellos practically fell over in shock.

"E-excuse me, miss, but I'm afraid you're horribly, _horribly_ mistaken." Xellos replied, trying to recover from his shock.

"Yeah! The only parent I have is my father!" Lorelei agreed, flashing a pointed look at Xellos that no one noticed but its intended recipient.

"They're not mine, just some friends." Filia agreed.  
"Oh, I see." Christine replied, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry, I just assumed..."

"Forget that! Can you tell us _where_ Amelia and Zara went?" Lina continued.

"I'm sorry." Christine sighed in reply. "I just know that they left searching for you. I wish I could be of more help."

"Fine, fine. We'll find them, don't worry." Gourry said, trying to reassure the woman and the rest of his friends as well. "Come on, you guys." Gourry began to leave, quickly followed by Lina, Zelgadis, Lorelei, and Xellos. Filia stayed for a moment to offer a polite 'thank you' to Christine before following her friends.

The friends made their way through the town, searching for any clues as to where Amelia and Zara could have gone. Obviously Lina and Zelgadis were at the front, with Gourry sticking close to Lina's side. Filia let them do the leading, and just muttered to herself. "I don't see how in the world that woman could have assumed that Lorelei and Mister Enrico were _my_ kids... we don't even look alike... well, except for his hair..."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Miss Filia." Xellos replied, hearing her complaints. "Hey, here's an idea! If you married Lorelei's father, then you'd be just like her mom! Right?"

"Say WHAT?" Filia asked in disgust. "How could you possibly suggest such a repulsive thing? Marry HIM? NEVER! I wouldn't stand for it! I hate him!"

"Whoa, whoa! I was just kidding! Don't get so worked up, Miss Filia!" Xellos couldn't help smiling at Filia's outburst- it was exactly the reaction he had hoped for-, but he felt an odd pang of some other emotion as well. The closest thing he could compare it to was... disappointment? But why would he be disappointed? Geez, humans made no sense sometimes...

"We're getting nowhere." Lina announced. "Maybe it would be better if we split up and searched separately."

"That sounds like a good idea." Xellos agreed. "Okay, Lina and Gourry can search one place, then Miss Filia and Lorelei can go another, so that just leaves...

"Don't even think about it." Zelgadis growled. "I'm not going with_ you_. You can count on that."

"Mister Zelgadis! Why are you all so mean to him?" Filia gasped.

"Oh, if you only knew..." Zelgadis muttered, but he decided against revealing Xellos right then. He and Lina had refrained from saying anything to Filia yet, because they figured that they could eventually use his identity as blackmail- and having anything to hold over Xellos' head was always nice. "Anyway, _Enrico_, you can go with Filia and Lorelei."

"Fair enough." Xellos sighed.

* * *

"Amelia, what do we do? We've been searching all morning and haven't found anything helpful." Zara asked.

"We just have to keep going, Zara-chan. I'm sure that we'll find them, if not here, then somewhere." Amelia replied. The two of them had been looking around the town for quite a while. Amelia wondered what the chances would be that their friends were actually there, but she didn't want to leave, in case their friends made it to the town and were looking for them as well. Hadn't she always been told as a little girl that, if she ever got separated from the group, to stay where she was in order for the group to find her again? Of course, she wasn't a little girl anymore- that had been almost 16 years ago. And the circumstances here were kind of... different...

Suddenly, Amelia felt her hand being tugged in another direction. Zara was pulling her toward something. "Zara-chan, what is it...?"

Zara answered her question, but he wasn't talking to Amelia. "Filia! Filia! Hey, Filia!" He called out, waving frantically.

The golden dragon heard the familiar voice calling her, and turned around quickly to see Zara running towards her, dragging Amelia with him. "Z-Zara-chan! Miss Amelia!" She gasped.

"Filiaaaaaa~!" Zara wailed, throwing himself at the dragoness in a large hug. Filia was too shocked at first to do anything.

"Miss Filia! Oh, thank goodness we found you! We've been looking all over for you!" Amelia exclaimed.

"What happened? How did you get here? Did you escape?" Filia asked, not sure how to react.

"Yes! We managed to escape- where are Zelgadis and the others? Are they with you?" Amelia asked.

"We split up to search for you." Filia explained. "They should be around here somewhere... Lorelei and Enrico were just with me a second ago, but I don't know where they went..."

"ZARA!" Xellos and Lorelei had finally caught up to Filia, and Lorelei was shocked to see that her best friend had caught up to them already.

"Lorelei!" Zara yelled, running up and throwing his arms around her. "We were so lost and I was really scared and I missed you and I wasn't sure if we were going to find you and, and..."

"Well, I'm just glad you're safe. Didn't Valgaav try to kill you?" Lorelei replied.

"He did, but we somehow managed to escape." Amelia replied. "But..." Her voice trailed off slightly. "We... we found out... what they're trying to do..."

"You found out their goal?" Xellos gasped. "What are they after?"

"Well-" Amelia began, but Filia cut her off.

"We should find Miss Lina and the others first. I know they'll want to see Miss Amelia and Zara-chan." She said.

"Of course." Amelia nodded.

"Yeah! Where's Lina and Gourry?" Zara asked.

"This way." Filia said, and Amelia and Zara followed closely behind.

* * *

"Zelgadis~!" Amelia yelled, half-hugging, half-tackling the chimera. She hoped that he wouldn't be too surprised, as he hadn't exactly seen her sneak up behind him.

"A-A-Amelia?" He gasped, sure for a moment that his mind was deceiving him. "Y-you're... how did you... when did...?" Zelgadis was unable to finish a sentence.

"Huh? Amelia?" Lina gasped, catching up to the two of them, with Gourry following closely behind. "Where's-"

"Lina~!" Zara yelled, running up and hugging her tightly.

"Oh! Zara!" Lina exclaimed, picking up the boy, practically crushing him in her grip.

"Hey! You made it back!" Gourry said, smiling at Zara.

"Gourry~!" Zara reached up from Lina's arms, and Gourry bent down, allowing the small boy to throw his arms around his neck. Zara was so glad to see both of them.

"How in the world did you two manage to escape?" Zelgadis asked, finally getting over his initial astonishment.

"We had to run away... er, Ray Wing away..." Amelia explained. "They came after us, but I managed to distract Valgaav with a white magic spell just long enough to escape."

"So they were trying to kill you?" Filia gasped.

"Yeah. That's what they kidnapped us for." Amelia replied.

"So this was almost... really bad..." Zelgadis murmured, tightening his grip around Amelia.

"Enough about all this mushy nonsense. You're safe and that's good." Xellos spoke up. "But tell us more of what you were saying earlier. You said that you figured out what they were up to?"

"Right..." Amelia replied. "You see... they have... well, it's... it's like a... uh..." She was too nervous to put her thoughts into words.

"A what?" Lorelei asked.

"It's a weird crystal-thing with a scary voice!" Zara said.

"A scary voice? A crystal?" Lina asked. "What are you talking about?"

"It's a crystal that they have... and inside of it..." Amelia began.

"What's inside?" Filia asked.

"Quit winding us up like this and spit it out!" Lorelei growled.

"I-inside... they apparently... have the spirit of the Demon Dragon King Gaav!" Amelia finally choked out.

The group fell deathly quiet.

Xellos was the first to speak up again. "I should have known that if Valgaav and El-chan were up to something, it would involve Gaav!"

"But what are they trying to do with it?" Gourry asked.

"Duh? What do you think? They obviously want to revive him!" Lina said.

"Miss Lina is right. They want to help him get back to normal." Amelia replied.

"That's... terrible!" Filia said. "Can't we do something?"

"So that's what they need the blue moon for. To perform the ritual." Xellos observed.

"You know about this, Mister Enrico?" Filia asked.

"I know a little bit about it..." Xellos replied. "Although what I have heard is only rumours... it's supposedly a spell that can revive a fallen Dark Lord with all of their original power. Not only can it only be performed on the night of a blue moon, but it also requires the help of nine ancient relics that power the spell. These relics were created by the monster race a long time ago, but now they have been left around and used by humans... and eventually forgotten by the humans. I wasn't sure if the spell was real or not, but it seems that it might be..."

"Xe- er, Enrico," Lina began. "Is one of the relics in the shape of a deer head?"

"I think it might be. I'm not sure what they all are. Why?" He replied.

"Well, when we were attacked by Elmyria on the isle of the Temple of the Stag, the relic she was trying to get was shaped like the skull of a deer."

"I see..." Xellos said, looking thoughtfully at the sky. "Well... I guess we have a start, now that we know what they're after..."

"Hey Lina, I have a question." Gourry spoke up.

"What is it?" Lina asked.

"Well... What is a blue moon? I've never seen a moon that was actually blue before."

Lina put her face in her palm. "Oh, how did I know you were going to ask that? Listen, let me explain it to you. The moon doesn't actually turn blue. You know how every season has three full moons? Like winter. The last full moon was the early winter moon. The next one will be the midwinter moon. Then the next one should be the late winter moon, but this year winter has four full moons instead of three. So... to keep the late winter moon the last moon of the season, the third full moon is called a blue moon. Got it?" Lina asked, already knowing the answer.

"I haven't the slightest idea what you just said." Gourry replied.

"Right... of course not..." Lina sighed. "Well, we're not getting anything accomplished by just standing around here, so let's get moving."

"Moving? Moving where?" Filia asked.

"Where we were going earlier. Home, remember?" Lina said. "Once we get there, we'll be able to get some rest and figure out what to do."

"Sounds good." Xellos replied. "I think everyone in our group could use some rest."

Filia sighed. "Then I guess we're heading toward Miss Lina and Mister Gourry's house..."

* * *

Yay! Everyone is back together! ^.^ But now they know what El-chan and Valgaav are up to... things are going to get interesting from here, I suppose...


	13. 13: Play By The Rules

So... this chapter feels kind of pointless, but it was fun to write! The village is named after an actual town that I've been to... a beautiful place... and now I want to visit there again... anyway, do enjoy the chapter! I don't own the Slayers characters, I just like playing with them. After all, what's more fun than messing with Xellos? I'm so cruel! XD

* * *

**13- Play By The Rules**

"My, my, Craighouse, eh? What a lovely little village. It's so nice and quaint. All it needs is a little bit of excitement..." Xellos murmured as they walked. Lina grabbed his arm.

"Craighouse is _our town_." She hissed. "Try anything, Xellos, and you're _dead_."

"Oh, of course. Wouldn't want to ruin your family's spotless reputation, now would I?" He replied with a laugh.

"I'm serious." Lina growled back. "Don't."

They had finally reached the village that Lina, Gourry, and Zara lived near, and Lina was planning to stop by on their way home to pick up some supplies and do some trading. She hadn't neglected her job as a merchant, finding that travelling around trying not to get killed was the perfect way to find new and interesting items to trade. She had even picked out a few especially for some of her regular customers.

"Ah! Lina! You've come by to visit again!" "Lina, Gourry, It's nice to see you again. " "We haven't seen you lately- how's your son doing?" "Oh, who are all of your friends that you've brought to visit?" The people greeted them happily, as interested in the newcomers as they were Lina and her family.

"Hey there, Imia!" Lina greeted a woman who was placing pastries in the window of a bakery.

"Lina! Gourry!" Imia replied, smiling broadly. "How nice to see you again! Won't you come in?"

"Thanks, we will." Lina replied. "And we can introduce you to some of our friends from faraway."

"I did see you brought company. Well, any friend of Lina and Gourry is a friend of mine. Do come inside, all of you. There's plenty of room to sit." Imia gestured them inside.

"Yeah, I'd say we have some catching up to do!" Lina agreed.

"Miss Lina, is this one of your friends?" Filia asked.

"Oh yeah, this is Imia. She and her husband started this bakery a few years back, just before we moved nearby." Lina explained.

"Yeah, she and her family are really nice too. They've got a daughter about Zara's age." Gourry agreed.

"Why don't you guys come sit in the back room? It's much comfier. Would you like some tea?" Imia asked.

"Tea would be nice. Thanks so much." Lina replied, smiling.

"Well it's always nice for you guys to pay a visit. We've missed you so much lately."

As Imia led them in, Zelgadis whispered to Amelia. "I didn't realise that Lina had other friends. She always seemed like such a solitary person, that I figured she'd just stick with Gourry and Zara. But she seems to really get along with this lady."

"Well, that's natural." Amelia replied. "I mean, we haven't actually kept in touch with them the way we probably should have... obviously Miss Lina would want a female friend that's around her age. She's the only girl in her house- and as much as she loves Mister Gourry and Zara-chan, that can get pretty lonely."

"That's true. I never thought about that." He nodded.

The group settled down in the spacious room behind the main area of the bakery, and Imia brought out some tea. Lina began introducing their friends.

"This is Amelia and Zelgadis. They're some old friends of ours from when we were travelling around." Lina explained.

"Ah, so this is the Amelia and Zel that I've heard so much about!" Imia exclaimed. "It's so great to finally meet you- the warrior of Justice, and the heartless mystical swordsman, correct?"

Amelia and Zelgadis exchanged a glance. "Uh... yeah..." Zel replied. "Just what has Lina told you about us anyway?"

"Oh, just a few things about how you've defeated Dark Lords and such. I just know a bit about your personalities and that you travelled with Lina at one point. I don't really know anything about your personal lives." Imia explained. "Sorry if I said too much."

"Oh, think nothing of it!" Amelia exclaimed. "It's true that I am an avid Warrior of Justice, seeking to right the wrongs of the world! And Zelgadis... well, he's still an expert swordsman, though he really isn't as heartless as one would think..."

"As far as Amelia is concerned, anyway." Zelgadis added.

Imia looked at them for a moment. "Then I take it that you two are... together?" She asked.

"We're married. Lina didn't tell you that?" Zelgadis stated, glaring accusingly at Lina.

"H-hey! I would have said something! It just never came up!" Lina defended.

"Lina did mention once that Amelia was the princess of a country. So you are the prince and princess now?" Imia asked.

"That's right." Amelia nodded.

"Amazing! To think that I have royalty here in my little shop!" Imia sighed dreamily.

"It's really not that amazing... please, just think of us as ordinary people!" Amelia said.

"ANYWAY~" Lina chimed in. "Moving on, this is Filia. I think you've heard a thing or two about her as well."

"Oh yes! The brave golden dragon that stood up to fight in the battle against Dark Star! How amazing that I'm actually getting to meet people like this! You're all practically legends!" Imia exclaimed, grabbing Filia's hand and shaking it vigorously.

"I think that Miss Lina might have slightly exaggerated some of our exploits." Amelia whispered to Zelgadis.

"That's alright. At least she didn't give herself all the credit like I thought she would." Zelgadis replied.

"And of course you know Zara." Lina said. "This is Lorelei- she's his best friend..."

"Oh! How wonderful! It's nice to meet you, Lorelei." Imia said, extending a hand to the small monster. The bright smile on Imia's face made Lorelei slightly reluctant to shake hands with her, but she was polite and tried to bear with it.

"And this is... _Enrico_..." Lina said, feeling annoyed that she couldn't introduce him as Xellos. Imia knew who Xellos was- she'd never heard of anyone named Enrico before. But perhaps it was for the best... After all, if they introduced him as Xellos, they'd have to explain how he got turned into a child.

"Enrico? You mean like the playwright? Oh, how amazing! I love his works!" Imia exclaimed. She blushed slightly, seeing the confused look on Xellos' face. "Ah, sorry. I know that you're an entirely different person. I just find it interesting that you share a name with a celebrity."

"Oh, think nothing of it." Xellos replied with a smile. "It's fine. You continue to enjoy your playwright, and just think of me as an ordinary kid. Alright?" He grinned and struck a dramatic pose. "_Whatever happens, wear a smile and don't forget to do so."_

"Oh, you can quote him!" Imia sighed adoringly. "And how did _you_ end up travelling with Lina? ...Do you belong to Filia?"

"NO! Why does everyone ask that? We look nothing alike!" Filia exclaimed.

Xellos shrugged. "Could be the hair." He offered, comparing the shade of his own dark blonde hair to Filia's golden. It wasn't _that_ far off... _El-chan's sick sense of humour... _He thought. _After all, she did ask me if I liked blonde hair and I said that I did... just not on ME!_

"Oh, I'm so very sorry! I just assumed-" Imia said, blushing in embarrassment.

"Oh no, it's fine. I most certainly don't belong to Filia." Xellos said. Then he muttered under his breath, "if anything, _she_ belongs to _me_."

"What was that?" Imia asked.

"I said that we're just friends!" Xellos replied. "Just friends..." He blushed slightly, realising that it sounded as if he was defending their relationship. Imia caught this, and realised what it meant.

"Okay, I see. Just friends." Imia grinned. "I guess it's for the best. Isn't she a little old for you?"

Xellos' face went completely red. "E-excuse me? Th-that's not even... I mean..." Filia looked at him curiously, and he turned aside.

Imia laughed. "I'm sorry." She apologised. "So anyway-"

Suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of the door being opened in the shop. A little girl's voice called out "Mommy! Mommy! We're back!"

"Emily! We're back here!" Imia called, standing up. She walked to the door and met up with a man, followed by two children- a girl about 6 years old, and a boy about 3.

The man took a look around the room. "Imie, how many times have I told you not to serve tea to total strangers?" He grinned in their direction and laughed. "Hey guys. Yo, Gourry! Nice to see you again!"

"Likewise!" Gourry replied, standing up and giving the man a high-five.

"So tell me, do you remember my name this time?" The man asked.

"Of course I do... Emil!" Gourry exclaimed, proud that he had remembered. He motioned back toward the group. "These are some friends of Lina's and mine." He explained.

"Nice to meet you." Emil nodded. "I'm Imia's husband. And this is Emily and Erik."

"Creative with the names, aren't they?" Zelgadis whispered.

"I think it's cute." Amelia whispered back.

The little blonde girl waved happily. "Hey, Zara!" She exclaimed.

"Hi Emily!" He replied, walking up to her.

"I heard you got hurt or something. Are you feeling better now?" She asked with a concerned expression. Zara laughed.

"Yeah! I'm fine! Don't worry." He assured her, smiling.

Even as a human, Xellos could feel the surge of negative emotions coming from Lorelei. "I don't _like_ that girl." She muttered.

"Lorelei dear, you're the only monster around at this point, so you aren't doing anybody any good by getting jealous." Xellos whispered.

"I'M NOT... jealous..." She began to yell, but decided against it.

The little boy, Erik, tugged at his father's sleeve. "Daddy! Daddy! Can we go play?"

"Oh, that's right! Some kids were playing ball outside and invited you, didn't they? Alright then, just make sure you stay with your sister." Emil replied.

"Say, Zara, do you want to play with us? I'm sure they'd like you to." Emily offered.

"That sounds like fun! Thanks Emily!" Zara grinned. "Hey, Lorelei! Come on! Let's go!"

"Huh? Me?" Lorelei asked, standing up. "You want me to go?"

Zara ran up to her and grabbed her hand. "It won't be any fun without you!" he said.

"Oh... okay!" Lorelei said, smiling again, feeling reassured.

"Hey, hey! You wanna play too?" Erik was looking up with his big, sparkling eyes. Xellos gave the boy a puzzled look.

"Me? Why me?" He wondered out loud?

"Oh Erik, he's a big kid. He won't want to play with little kids like us." Emily said, taking her brother's hand.

"Mister Enrico, you should go play with them." Filia suggested.

"P-play with them?" Xellos gasped. "You're kidding me, right?"

"What's wrong? Haven't you ever played with kids before?" Filia asked, a look of concern on her face.

"O-of course I've played with kids!" Xellos defended. It wasn't a lie at all... it just depended on your usage of the word "_play_."

"Then you should go with them. We've all been under a lot of stress lately. I think it will help you relax. Go on." Filia encouraged.

Lina smirked. "Yeah, _Enrico, _I'm sure you'll be great at it!"

"Have fun playing with kids your own age." Zelgadis laughed.

_You two think this is so funny, don't you? _Xellos frowned. _Laugh it up, why don't you? See if I care. I'll go teach these little brats the _real _way to play ball. _

"Alright, I'm in!" Xellos exclaimed, standing up and putting on the best smile he could.

"That's the spirit!" Filia said happily.

Erik grabbed Xellos' hand and pulled him along with Zara, Lorelei, and Emily. Filia smiled as she watched them go.

"He's a smart boy, he just needs the chance to interact with kids his own age." She said.

"Oh Filia..." Lina sighed to herself. "If only you knew..."

* * *

Farther away from the main village, there was a large field with a bunch of kids playing on it. A group of kids- most of them between 5 and 12- greeted Zara, Emily, Erik, Lorelei, and Xellos.

"So you brought 5 people, huh? That's good because we had an odd number already, and now it's even." A boy who looked to be about 9 or 10 commented to the group.

"Then let's get playing already!" Another boy enthused. "Emily and Erik can be on our team, since we have more people, so you guys get Zara and... _them_..."  
"_Them?" _Lorelei muttered. "We're not just '_them."_

"He just doesn't know your names." Zara explained. "You guys, this is Lorelei and Xe-_Enrico_. Lorelei and Enrico."

The first boy came up to them. "Nice to meet you guys! I suppose you're Lorelei and you're Enrico?" he asked, pointing to each of them.

"That's right." Lorelei nodded.

"Awesome! I'm Alex! Where are you guys from? How old are you?"

Xellos and Lorelei looked at each other hesitantly. Xellos nodded to his companion, gesturing for her to say something to the boy. So Lorelei began, "Well... uh... we're from this place called Wolfpack Island..." She waited a minute to see Alex's response.

"Cool! Never heard of it!" Alex replied.

"Right. It's far... far... away from here... anyway, I'm seven, and Enrico is..." Lorelei stopped for a moment and looked at Xellos, trying to gauge the physical age of his human form. "...thirteen."

Alex laughed. "That's cool! I think you might be the oldest one here!"

"Oh, I'm _sure _that I'm the oldest one here." Xellos muttered.

"What was that?" Alex asked.

"Uh, I just said 'let's get started!" Xellos replied, putting on the best smile that he could.

"Okay, should we do a coin toss?" Alex asked the other kids.

"We just had a coin toss. Your team is batting first." Another boy replied. "Figure out what order you'll go in."

Alex looked around hesitantly, as the other team spread out onto the field. "Anyone want to bat first...?" he asked.

No one responded- it seemed that none of the team members wanted the responsibility to start off the game. After a few moments of looking around, Alex stopped and put a finger to his nose. Quickly, all the team members did the same. Zara copied the gesture bit late, and Lorelei seemed to catch on after Zara did it. This left Xellos staring, wondering just what the young humans were doing. All eyes were on him.

"Okay, then. Enrico bats first." Alex exclaimed.

"Say what? How do you figure that?" Xellos asked.

"You were the last person to touch your nose. The game is that the last person to touch their nose is the loser." A girl explained.

"How was I supposed to know that?"

"We are kind of new to this." Lorelei agreed.

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure you'll do fine." Alex said, handing Xellos a large, wooden bat. It was long, with a thin handle, becoming much wider and flatter as it spread out. Xellos looked at it curiously.

"What's this? A weapon of some sort?" He questioned.

Alex laughed. "No, dummy! It's a bat! You use it to hit the ball!"

"So it_ is_ a weapon..." Xellos responded, grinning. "Hitting things with weapons... goodness, Filia would like this game."

"Hey!" Another kid called from the other team. "Are you guys going to bat or not?"

"We're coming! We're coming!" Alex called back. "Well, good luck, Enrico. You'll be great."

"Easy for you to say..." Xellos mumbled. "So I just hit the ball with the bat when he throws it at me, right?"

"Right. When he bowls it to you, you hit it as far as possible." Alex nodded.

A rather confused Xellos went to stand in front of the wooden posts where Alex had directed him. _So this is what humans do for fun? Doesn't seem very fun to me... maybe the part about hitting things with bats... but only one person gets to hit at a time, and the object isn't even living. It's really quite boring if you think about it..._

The bowler tossed the ball toward Xellos. In response, he took the bat and swung at it, hitting the ball hard with a satisfying _KRAK! _The ball flew through the air, the children around looking at it in awe. The kids on their team cheered. "That's six runs!" Alex exclaimed.

"I-is that good?" Xellos asked.

"Good? That's awesome! Uh... but what are you doing now?" Alex replied.

"I... don't know. What am I supposed to be doing?" Xellos asked in response.

"Don't just stand there! RUN! Hurry before they knock over the wickets!" Alex and some other teammates yelled.

"Uh, uh, okay!" Xellos stammered, beginning to run. "Where am I supposed to go?"

"Run to where the bowler was standing!"

"Okay! And then what?"

"RUN BACK!"

"Okay! Okay!" Xellos replied, wondering why they were getting so frantic. He took off running, ignoring the yelling that he heard behind him. _gee, this bat is an awfully heavy thing to carry around when you're running..._

"Enrico! You can drop the bat! You don't have to carry it! Really!" Alex was yelling.

_Oh. _Thought Xellos. _Stupid humans... why don't they tell me these things?_

* * *

After the game had wrapped up, the group finally decided to head toward Lina and Gourry's house, since it was beginning to get dark.

"Now that I think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense." Xellos commented.

"What do you mean?" Lorelei asked.

"Well, I was trying to figure out the whole point of that game- because it seemed rather pointless to be running around chasing balls for no apparent reason. Then I decided that it must be a display of physical strength. The physically stronger team will present itself as the victor. Basically it's a way of showing strength. This confused me because with monsters, if we want to prove our strength, we'll fight each other. But to fight the way monsters do, humans have such fragile lives, that they would be fights to the death- or worse, they could literally kill each other. And with death simply resulting from a display of physical ability... needless to say that would not be good for the continuation of the species. So I suppose that they had to come up with a non-deadly form of competition to show their physical abilities to others... and they find it just as fun and invigorating as a monster feels when fighting. "

"That does make a lot of sense." Lorelei commented. "I never thought about it that way before."

"I must admit, it's not exactly the best situation, but being a human is really quite educational. I'm learning more and more about them every day." Xellos agreed.

"But... you still want to go back to being a monster... right?" Lorelei asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Hah, or what? Stay like this forever? You've _got_ to be joking." Xellos laughed. "But now that you mention it, I do need to think about that. Now that Filia is safe, I need to focus on getting back to my original form. You'll help me, won't you Lorelei?" He grinned.

"You know I'd do_ anything_ for you, Xellos!" She exclaimed.

"That's a good girl! Just what I like to hear!" Xellos laughed. "You're a good apprentice, Lorelei." Lorelei didn't respond. She gazed down at her feet, not wanting to make eye contact. "Lorelei?" Xellos asked again.

"Y-yeah. I'll help, don't worry." She responded, turning away, as if to end the conversation.

"Oh... okay..." Xellos replied. "You alright?"

"Yeah..." Lorelei didn't say anything else. Xellos decided not to ask her anything else. It probably wasn't a good idea to pry. It would only make her more upset.

"Zara?" Xellos asked.

"Huh? What's up?" Zara replied.

"Do you think... you could do me a favour?" He continued. _Ugh, having to ask a human (well, half) for a favour... I'm really losing it! I'd better get back to normal, and fast!_

"Sure! What do you need?" Zara asked, smiling.

"Well... do you think you could talk to Lorelei? She seems... kind of out of it... you know?"

"I noticed." Zara nodded. "I'll talk to her. She is my best friend, after all."

"Thanks, Zara." Xellos replied. "I'm kind of worried... she's usually so confident and headstrong... I wonder what's gotten to her..."

"Hey! You guys! Here we are!" Lina called. "Our house is right up here! We can rest for tonight and talk over our strategy some tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Sounds wonderful." Filia replied. They could rest for now, and worry about things later...

* * *

(A/N: If you didn't catch on, the game that they were playing was Cricket... I've never actually played it myself, but it sounds fun. And another thing... Imia's name... in retrospect, I probably should have spelled it "Emiya" since that's the way I pronounce it... but I was being weird. Oh well...)


	14. 14: Discussions and Decisions

(Chapter 14! This was also a fun chapter to write! ...no improvement on the names. Sorry... I don't own the characters, I just like writing stories about them for my own personal amusement. Haha, anyway, enjoy!)

* * *

**14- Discussions and Decisions **

"So... there are 2 guest rooms... Amelia and Zel can stay in one, and..." Lina stopped and thought for a moment. "So... I guess Enrico and Filia are together as well."

"Wh-what?" Xellos asked, looking at Filia hesitantly. She just smiled at him.

"That should be alright, I suppose." Filia shrugged.

"I..." Xellos began. "I shall boldly volunteer to take the couch! Filia can have the bed, if she'd like!"

"Very chivalrous of you..." Lina began. "Ah... but there are two beds in that room, genius."

"Oh. Well then... that works." Xellos replied.

" Good. Now let's get some rest." Lina nodded. "We can discuss what we're planning to do tomorrow."

The rest of the group nodded and continued upstairs. It seemed like they all needed just a little bit of rest.

* * *

"Nice to be back in your own bed, isn't it?" Lina commented to Zara pulling the blankets around the little boy.

"Yeah..." He murmured, as if he was already half-asleep.

"Did you have fun playing cricket today?" She asked.

"Yeah, it was great... I scored five whole runs... plus four extra for hitting the ball..." He replied.

"Nice! That's the best you've done so far, right?"

"Yeah... but you know who was really good? Xellos." Zara continued.

"Xellos was good, huh?" Lina questioned.

"Yeah... but he didn't know what to do... so everyone just kept yelling at him... and they told him to run, but he didn't know where... and he didn't know to drop the bat, so he just held it... and so everyone just kept yelling, and..."

By this point Lina had burst out into laughter. The thought of Xellos running around, carrying a heavy cricket bat, with all the kids yelling at him was an incredibly humorous picture. Lina so wished that she had been there. "So you had fun?" She finished, regaining her composure.

"Yep. Lots of fun."

"Good." Lina straightened his unruly hair for a moment and then got up, blowing out the candle on the desk. "G'night, Zara."

"G'night, Lina." Zara murmured in reply. "I love you."

"Right back at ya, kid." Lina grinned, closing the door slowly.

Zara lay still for a moment, waiting for Lina to go back to her own room. Then, slowly, he got up, making sure not to make too much noise.

Zara tiptoed down the hall, and down the staircase into the living room. As he had expected, Lorelei was sitting on the couch. "Hey... Lorelei...?" he began.

"Huh? Wha-? Oh, Zara... it's you..." Lorelei turned to him in surprise.

"Yeah. It's me. You okay?" Zara asked.

"Oh... yeah... I guess..." Lorelei replied. Zara sat down on the couch beside her.

"I'm not so sure. I know you really well, Lorelei, and I know you're upset about something. What's the matter?"

"Wha-...it's... nothing... just..." Lorelei looked up at her friend and realised that, no matter how she tried, she couldn't hide anything from him. "Oh, Zara! It's not fair!" She sobbed, collapsing into his lap.

* * *

"I'm so glad that we finally get to see Miss Lina and Mister Gourry's house. It's so nice." Amelia commented, stretching out on the large bed in their guest room. "I mean, they've seen where we live before..."

"And blown it up plenty of times as well." Zelgadis added, sitting down beside her.

"Well, they had a justified reason for .._.most_... of those times!" Amelia replied.

"I guess they did..." he sighed.

"I'm glad we finally get some time to rest. I'm so tired..." Amelia said happily.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. All this... craziness has been stressful." Zelgadis replied. "How in the world do we get ourselves wrapped up in this sort of stuff anyway?"

"Warriors who defend Justice must always face perils in order to right the wrongs of the world!" Amelia replied, smiling.

"You and your 'Justice." Zelgadis laughed, playing with Amelia's hair. "So, how do you think we're going to right the wrongs this time?"

"I don't know... when they kidnapped Zara-chan and me, they told us about their plans to revive the Demon Dragon King... but they weren't talking about ambitious goals of world destruction or anything... they simply talked of helping out a friend. It made me wonder just who the bad guys really were..." Amelia closed her eyes for a moment, thinking hard.

"Well, it makes sense that they wouldn't want to destroy the world- that's not what Gaav wanted, remember? And I understand that they want to help a friend... but..." Zelgadis responded.

"Their methods are all wrong. They should not be trying to kill innocent people for the sake of their plans. They may be helping one person, but they are hurting so many more." Amelia said.

Zelgadis nodded. "And who knows how many more people will be hurt after Gaav is revived..."

"I've been wondering something, and meant to ask Mister Xellos about it..." Amelia continued.

"What's that?" Zelgadis asked, feeling slightly annoyed that Amelia would want to go to Xellos for information.

"Well... didn't Mister Xellos say that the spell they're trying to do revives a Dark Lord with their full power? When Gaav was destroyed, he was in a human body... but would he be resurrected in his human body, or would he return to his true form? That's been bothering me."

"You have a really good point." Zelgadis replied. "I hadn't thought of that. If Gaav is revived as his human form, it is bad, but if he is revived in his original monster form... that could be even more devastating..."

"Not to mention that it was his human form that caused him to go against the monster race." Amelia pointed out. "If he returns to being a full monster, then he may try to destroy the world like all the rest of them."

"This is troublesome..." Zelgadis sighed. "And we won't know any of these things until we can get more information about this spell..."

"Mister Xellos might know... but he's having some problems as well... I almost feel sorry for him." Amelia commented.

"Hah! I don't!" Zelgadis laughed. "He deserves it, that monster."

"Zelgadis! That's awfully unjust of you to say!" Amelia scolded.

"What? You want me to lie and tell you that I'm sorry for him?" Zelgadis asked. "I think being a human has actually been good for him. He's learning all the problems that we have to deal with. I think it might give him just a tad bit of humility... or perhaps that's just wishful thinking."

"That is true. I think it's good that he has learned about human emotions." Amelia agreed. "In fact, perhaps this will allow him to realise his true feelings for Miss Filia... and then there won't be such a rift between them. They both love each other, they just need to let one another know. Maybe this will help work things out."

"Yeah, but Filia doesn't even know that's Xellos. She just thinks he's... _Enrico_." Zelgadis said. "And... forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think Xellos isn't as comfortable around Filia as he tries to make it appear."

"Oh?" Amelia questioned. "What do you mean?"

"Have you noticed that sometimes he'll try to get away from her if she gets too close? And today when Lina said that they'd share a room, Xellos immediately volunteered to sleep on the couch."

"Now that you mention it, I have seen that. But what does it mean? Does it mean that he doesn't like her?" Amelia asked.

"No, actually, I think it means just the opposite." Zelgadis replied. "Perhaps I would notice this more than you would, since you're a girl... but I'm not sure how old Xellos' human form is. He looks as if he's about 12 or 13, maybe even older... and you know, most boys that age have lived in their bodies their whole lives and are completely confused about themselves - much less someone who was just thrown into that body two weeks ago. I'm thinking that maybe he's having to get used to a whole bunch of new things that he's never experienced. If it's tough for humans, it's got to be tough for a monster..."

Amelia contemplated this for a moment. "I... I hadn't really thought about that... but you might be on to something! I wouldn't know myself, but I suppose that's a rather awkward age... isn't it?"

"I'll say. Very awkward. Like going through a growth spurt where you grow almost five inches in just a month, and every time you get out of bed you forget that you're five inches taller, so you end up hitting your head on the bunk above you..." By this point in Zelgadis' narrative, Amelia had burst out laughing. "H-hey! It's not funny!"

"If it's not funny, then why am I laughing?" She replied.

"Because _you _never had to go through it! I'm still convinced that I suffered some sort of brain damage from that..."

Amelia finally finished laughing, and stroked his hair affectionately. "Your brain doesn't seem damaged to me."

"Thanks. That's awfully nice of you to say." Zelgadis laughed.

"Anyway... it's getting late. Should we get some rest?" Amelia asked.

"That sounds like a great idea." Zelgadis replied.

* * *

"Filia, no."

"But Enrico-"

"I said no! This really isn't necessary!"

"But it would be so nice if you just-"

"You really don't have to!"

"I know! But come on, I _want_ to! Humour me, would you?"

"But-"

"Just sit down. I won't hurt you, I promise."

"But-"

"Come here- see? It's not that bad."

"Filia, I don't- OW! OW! Okay, that hurts! OW! QUIT IT!"

Filia sighed and let go of the brush that stayed in Xellos' hair, still snarled in the unruly blonde tangles. "It's going to hurt at first, I'm afraid. That's the problem with letting your hair get like this. When was the last time you brushed it, anyway?" she asked.

"Let me think... _never_." Xellos replied, trying with no avail to tug the brush out of his hair. "And it doesn't need it."

"Come on, Enrico, that brush got _stuck_. It definitely needs it." Filia defended. "Why won't you just let me brush your hair?"

"I just... think it's unnecessary..." Xellos replied.

"Well, I'm tired of looking at your messed up hair. I just think you'd look so good with it brushed. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to wash it either..." Filia commented.

"No one is washing my hair!" Xellos defended. "And I think I look just fine without brushing it."

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Filia asked.

"No... mirrors disgust me at the moment... I sincerely hope you're not going to make me look at myself." Xellos replied. He did not feel like seeing his human form- it was a terrible reminder of the situation he had been placed in.

"Enrico... please?" Filia asked. She gave him a look that startled him- it was so sweet, innocent, and pleading, that he felt as if he needed to comply.

"I... er, well... I suppose that... if you _really _felt that it was necessary... and won't force me to wash it or look into a mirror... you can brush it..." he sighed forlornly.

"Yay!" Filia squealed happily, taking the handle of the brush back. "Now, hold still, and I'll try to get it out without hurting you." She grabbed his hair close to the scalp and held it in place while she pulled the brush out, so as to not hurt him in the process. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"That depends on your point of view." Xellos replied.

"Oh, it's alright. Give me just a few minutes, and I'll have your hair looking nice again." Filia assured him. She began to brush his hair again, having to work hard to get the knots and tangles out. She did it in such a way that it didn't hurt as badly, and Xellos decided that it was at least tolerable.

_Honestly, what am I doing? Getting my hair brushed by a dragon? I'm supposed to be working as hard as I can to figure out how to regain my original form. Instead I'm getting fawned over like some little child. This is _so _degrading... Lord Beastmaster would not be pleased with me if she found out that I allowed myself to be subjected to such... coddling... especially from Filia! Although... I suppose it could be much worse... _Xellos allowed himself to lean against Filia, who continued to brush his hair, in a calming, repetitive motion. _I can't forget to talk to Lorelei tonight... can't forget... can't... _His thoughts began to blur and his consciousness slowly began to slip away from him.

Filia continued brushing his hair until she could easily pull the hairbrush through his short, scruffy blonde curls. "It really does look cute when it's brushed. I wish you'd let me show it to you... Enrico?" Filia put a hand on his shoulder, slowly turning the boy to face her. "Well, how about that? He fell asleep." She sighed happily. "He really is a sweet child. I can't see why Miss Lina and the others abuse him so..."

Filia picked up the boy and carried him across the room to the other bed, setting him down and pulling the blankets up around him. She watched him for a moment, pushing a golden curl out of his face. _So it _was_ curly after all. And here I thought it was just messy. _Filia laughed to herself. _The poor boy. He must be exhausted. And so stressed out. With all that's been going on, I can't say I blame him. But I wish he'd tell me more about himself. I don't know anything about him. Where does he come from? Does he have parents? How did he meet Lorelei in the first place? How does he know so much about monsters? _Filia shook her head, deciding that those were questions for another day. "Pleasant dreams, Enrico."

* * *

"It's not fair... not fair!" Lorelei sobbed. Zara put his hand on her head affectionately.

"What's not fair?" he asked.

"It's... it's just... it's not fair that everyone treats me like such a kid! I'm not a kid! I'm a grown-up!" she exclaimed.

"A grown-up, huh?" Zara murmured contemplatively. "I guess so. How old are you again?"

"Around three-hundred... give or take a few years..." Lorelei responded. "...although, that's rather young for a monster..."

"So are you a kid, or are you a grown-up?" Zara asked.

"I... I want to be a grown-up..." Lorelei sighed.

"You want to be a grown-up, huh?" Zara repeated. "That doesn't sound right."

"What do you mean, it doesn't sound right?" Lorelei growled.

"Well, I just think that kids shouldn't want to grow up so fast. I know I don't want to be a grown-up anytime soon." Lorelei stared at Zara with an incredulous expression, so he continued in order to clarify himself. "I mean... there's so much fun stuff that kids get to do, that grown-ups can't. Like today, when we were playing cricket, I've only seen kids do that. I've never seen grown-ups get together and play cricket on their own before. Lina and Gourry practice with me sometimes, but they never actually join in the games. And kids can do a lot of other fun stuff that grown-ups don't do. Plus kids can get away with more things because they look so innocent. Being a kid really is a good thing."

"That... sounds true..." Lorelei responded. "But... there's so many things that adults can do that kids can't. Adults get more responsibility and respect from others. And they are allowed to do so many more things. Plus..." her voice trailed off slightly, as if she had been about to say something, and decided against it.

"Plus what?" Zara asked.

"Well... kids can have friends and everything... and they can be close friends... but when you're an adult... I guess... you can be something _more_ to a person..." Lorelei stammered, unsure of how to phrase it.

"You mean like Lina and Gourry?" Zara asked.

"Exactly like Lina and Gourry." Lorelei replied. "And Amelia and Zelgadis, and Filia and Xe- well, not quite them yet... but you get the idea..."

Zara nodded and paused for a moment. "But... why can't kids fall in love like that?"

"I don't know... people say that they're not mature enough to understand the real concept of love... or something..." Lorelei replied.

"What if they're mature kids, and understand it perfectly?" Zara asked.

"Then... I guess they could..." Lorelei nodded. "But... it wouldn't exactly be the most supported thing by the grown-ups around them..."

"Who cares about the grown-ups around them? As long as two people are in love, age shouldn't matter! I mean... Lina was fifteen when she met Gourry!" Zara exclaimed.

"Yeah, well they didn't exactly hit it off until later... but I guess you're right." Lorelei nodded.

"Yeah... and I met you when I was three..." Zara continued.

Lorelei blushed, realising that Zara was referring to the two of them. "W-well, that's different, isn't it?"

"Is it so different?" Zara asked.

"W-well... I mean... Lina and Gourry are..." Lorelei's voice trailed off. "You and I... I think we still have some growing-up to do."

"I understand." Zara nodded. "I don't want to grow up all at once... but I can't help looking forward to it either..."

"It's tough. And once you get older, you can't go back to being a kid." Lorelei agreed.

"So that's why we have to try and be as grown-up as possible while we are still kids, right?" Zara asked, smiling.

"I guess so!" Lorelei exclaimed. "Say, what exactly do you want to do when you grow up? I've never heard you talk about it."

"Me? I haven't really given it much thought..." Zara replied.

"I know that Lord Beastmaster would probably be pleased to have you as an ally of ours." Lorelei suggested hopefully.

"I suppose... but I think that when I get older, I want to be more like Lina and Gourry." Zara commented. "I'd like... to be able to fight evil... and have someone that I can protect..." Zara's voice trailed off. "...say, Lorelei? Can I ask you a favour?"

"Sure. What do you need?" She asked.

"Can... can I protect you? Like, be your protector, the way Gourry does for Lina. I think that the best way to learn to do something is by experience... and maybe it'll help me to grow up, just a little bit. Would you let me, please?"

Lorelei stared at Zara for a moment, wondering if he was serious in his request to protect her. He made it sound as if she'd be doing him a favour by letting him protect her, though it seemed like it should be the other way around. Was that how it was with Lina and Gourry? Was Lina simply letting Gourry protect her as a favour to him? It did seem logical, since Lina hardly ever needed protecting... but why would she do something like that? Lorelei guessed that it must be because she saw how much he loved her and wanted to protect her because of it. She blushed involuntarily and looked at her best friend with a grateful expression.

"Zara... it would be an honour to have you as my protector." Lorelei replied.

"R-really? Oh, thanks Lorelei!" Zara exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "I promise, I won't let you down! I'll be the best protector you've ever had!"

Lorelei didn't mention that he was the _only_ protector that she'd ever had, she simply nodded in agreement. "Zara..." she began. "Sometime tonight... I need to talk to Xellos... er, actually, we both need to talk to Lord Beastmaster. She needs to know what's going on- we can't keep things a secret from her! Will you come with us? I think... it'll help to have another monster there with us..."

"Sure!" Zara nodded. "I'll follow you anywhere! Remember, I have to protect you now."

Lorelei laughed. "Thanks a lot! And I'll make sure that you get at least some sleep tonight- or Lina will kill me in the morning!"

Zara laughed too. "You don't have to worry about Lina anymore! I've got your back!"

Lorelei smirked. "Awesome. I guess that's a great perk of having you as my protector- Lina wouldn't dare do anything to me if you get in her way!"

The two laughed again, before getting up and making plans to wake Xellos- and pay a visit to a certain Dark Lord.

* * *

(I didn't mean for there to be such a long scene with just OCs... *sigh* but they are a bit easier to write, since you don't have to worry about them being out of character...)


	15. 15: Surprise Visits and More Plans

Hello again! We've finally made it to chapter 15! How exciting! A big thank you to anyone who's actually read this far! I'm having a lot of fun writing this! Though this is a fun pastime, I still do not own any of the characters and such... *sigh* ... And also, Salvia belongs to PsychoSongtress who was super-nice enough to let me borrow her for a little bit! Thank you ever so much! ^.^

**15- Surprise Visits and More Plans**

"Lorelei, are you sure that you'll be okay transporting both of us?" Xellos asked. He, Lorelei, and Zara were sitting together in the living room while the rest of their friends slept.

"I'll be fine. You're both relatively young humans, and Zara is half-monster, so that should help. Besides, we'll probably be staying there for a while, so I'll have plenty of time to regain my strength afterward." she assured them.

"That's good. And I'll help you any way I can." Zara responded.

"Hopefully we won't be staying too long." Xellos added. "I don't want anyone to wake up and find us gone. They'd certainly get suspicious."

"You mean Filia?" Lorelei asked.

"Well, Filia would suspect something, and Lina or Gourry would simply get mad that we'd taken Zara to a potentially dangerous place." Xellos responded.

"Potentially... dangerous...?" Zara asked timidly.

"Wolfpack island is filled with dangers- it's the home of monsters, isn't it?" Xellos replied. Zara seemed hesitant to follow them now, so Lorelei interjected.

"But it's really not that bad! As long as you're with me, you won't get hurt!" Lorelei told them. "I'm the apprentice to the second-in-command! They don't particularly like me, but they know that if they so much as lay a finger on me, then Xellos will..."

"It's flattering that they have so much respect for me." Xellos commented.

"Sounds more like fear to me." Zara added.

"Anyway, let's get going. I'll probably have to do some convincing in order for them to let me bring a full-blooded human to see Lord Beastmaster... maybe I can pass you off as a toy or something..." Lorelei murmured thoughtfully.

"A toy? Alright, now you're losing it, Lorelei! I refuse to be a toy for any monster to mess with-" Xellos interjected.

"I'm kidding." Lorelei said. "Just grab my hands, both of you. I'll do my best to get us there quickly, so we can return quickly.

"Right." They both responded, taking Lorelei's hands. In less than a moment, they had teleported away, using the astral plane as a link to the island where the Greater Beastmaster lived.

* * *

"Lina...? Hey, Lina? Are you still awake?" Gourry murmured.

"Hmmm? Yeah. Why?" Lina asked.

"Go to sleep." he responded simply.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO?" she exclaimed, sitting up in bed. Lina sighed sadly, letting herself fall back onto the pillow. "There's just something that's been bothering me..."

"Something that's been bothering you? Bothering you how?" Gourry replied, a look of concern on his face.

"I just... can't stop thinking about it... and it won't leave me alone..." she said.

"I understand. I get that sort of thing a lot." Gourry nodded.

"You do?" Lina asked curiously.

"Of course I do. I just try to forget about it. It's much easier to sleep when you don't have questions racing through your mind, you know?" he responded.

"Boy do I ever know what you mean." Lina sighed. "Who knew that _you _could be smart?"

"I know I've never said anything about some of the things that bother me... but I've heard that talking about it helps to get your mind off of it. You want to tell me what's on your mind? Who knows, we might be worried about the same thing."

"Maybe we are..." Lina murmured. "I guess... the thing that I've been thinking about... well, it's about Valgaav and Elmyria..."

"Oh. Then we're not thinking the same thing." Gourry replied.

"Hah, should've known that you wouldn't be worried about the important stuff..." Lina responded. "But what's really bugging me is what Amelia told me..."

"What did Amelia say?" Gourry asked.

"Well, she said that, when she and Zara were captured, they were taken to the house that used to belong to Shichiro, a.k.a. Phibrizzo."

"They went to_ his_ house?" Gourry gasped, grabbing Lina almost as if to attempt to defend her from an enemy they had defeated long ago. "I don't remember the house, but I certainly remember the person!"

"Not only that, but she also mentioned that Riko was there too... that cat that was always hanging around Phibrizzo... certainly she must have been one of his minions..." Lina continued. "So now I'm afraid..."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that Phibrizzo might somehow be behind this all."

"But how? Lina, you _killed _him! _Twice_!" Gourry protested.

"True, but that doesn't mean that his influence isn't still lasting... remember, he liked intricate plans. It's kind of like how Rezo was destroyed, but his plans for being revived continued..." Lina explained.

"But wasn't Rezo in that jar thingy? Phibrizzo is gone. For good." Gourry argued.

"Yeah... I guess it's true that Rezo _was_ in the Hellmaster's jar pulling all the strings... but I still... I'm still afraid that... maybe even if they don't know it themselves, Elmyria and Valgaav... and maybe even _Gaav himself _could all just be pawns in some long, intricate plan that Phibrizzo devised before he was killed... I mean, stranger things _have_ happened..."

"You think?" Gourry asked. "That's... scary."

"I know..." Lina sighed.

Gourry grabbed Lina's hand and gave her a comforting look. "But, if we make sure that their plan doesn't work, then we won't have to worry about it, whether or not it has anything to do with Phibrizzo at all, right?"

Lina grinned. "You're right- I'm wondering just who this smart person is, and what you've done with my Gourry. But thanks. I do feel a lot better about it. It's nice to talk about your worries with someone who will actually listen... even if you can't do anything about them..."

"Well, hopefully we can both get some sleep now." Gourry nodded.

"You said it." Lina agreed, snuggling up next to him. He put his arm around her and they began to fall asleep. Suddenly, Lina looked up. "Oh wait! I totally forgot- you said you were worried about something too, right? I never gave you a chance to talk!"

"Huh? Oh, _that_. Well..." he looked sheepishly at Lina. "...after the conversation we just had, my worries don't really seem that important anymore... or at least they really don't seem like the things we should be discussing while our lives and the world itself are in possible danger..." Gourry replied.

"I understand." Lina nodded, "though I'd still like to know what you were thinking about." She closed her eyes again. "...it was about_ food_, wasn't it?" she murmured as she drifted to sleep.

Lina was so tired, she wasn't even awake to hear Gourry's mumbled "Actually, not really...no..." as he fell asleep beside her.

* * *

"Lorelei... might I ask why you have brought _them _here?" The dark-haired monster narrowed her eyes as she looked at the trio that had just appeared before her, asking her permission to meet with Lord Beastmaster.

"Please, Salvia! You've got to understand, this is important!" Lorelei pleaded.

"Important enough to justify bringing a human to Wolfpack island? Are you mad? If Xellos ever found out that you did this..."

"Xellos knows exactly what I'm doing." Lorelei defended. "Besides... it's important that this human sees her. We're in need of her assistance."

"I highly doubt that Lord Beastmaster would agree to helping a human like him... but if you really want to see her, I suppose that I really shouldn't object. If I did, I have an odd feeling that Xellos might get mad at me later." Salvia replied.

"Got that right..." Xellos muttered under his breath.

"I'll inform Lord Beastmaster of your arrival and your... erm... _guests_. I'll leave the decisions up to her." The monster nodded, leaving to meet with her master. When Zara was sure that she was out of hearing range, he leaned over and whispered to Lorelei.

"She's kind of scary..."

"Sal's actually quite nice, once you get to know her... most of the time..." Lorelei replied. "Actually, that's how most monsters are..."

"Like you." Zara said, smiling and resting his head against her shoulder. Lorelei blushed slightly.

"Yeah, just like that." She replied, smiling back.

"Alright, Lord Beastmaster said she can meet with you now, since she has some free time." Salvia interrupted, returning. "Ah, but you're going to have to get rid of all those positive emotions, half-human. Full-blooded monsters don't particularly like that sort of thing." She pointed to Lorelei and Zara. "Does Xellos approve of... _this_?"

Lorelei blushed and pushed Zara away. "A-approve of what?" she asked.

"Sorry, what a silly question. Of course_ he_ would- at least the one you've chosen is partially a monster..."

"Now, Sal, my dear, I really think you don't have any room to talk in this regard, now do you?" Xellos asked pointedly.

Salvia clenched her teeth and gave the boy a vicious look. "And just who do YOU think YOU are?" she demanded. Lorelei quickly grabbed Xellos in a headlock, covering his mouth.

"Oh, he was just kidding! No idea what he's talking about!" she defended. She then whispered harshly into Xellos' ear. "You can't act like your normal trickster self! The monsters around here don't know who you are! They'll kill you without a second thought! Now, come on." Lorelei pulled Xellos with her. "You were the one who said we couldn't stay too long. We've got to get moving and work things out with Lord Beastmaster. This can't take all night."

Salvia watched the group leave, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Just who was that impertinent human boy anyway?

Zara followed Xellos and Lorelei into the large room. He almost couldn't keep up, he was so busy staring in awe at all of the beautiful and intricate decorations. "This is incredible..." he murmured.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice that spoke to the group. "Lorelei..." Zelas said. "I see that Salvia was right. You have brought... _guests_."

Zara gasped at the sight of the monster- she was tall, beautiful, and intimidating. Her long hair fell over her shoulders and her piercing gold eyes looked seriously at the group of people. Zara's first instinct was to hide in fear, but he knew that he couldn't do that- this was Xellos and Lorelei's master, after all. She wouldn't hurt them... hopefully...

"Well, you see, Lord Beastmaster... there is... well, what I mean to say..." Lorelei stammered, wondering how she would ever find a way to explain Xellos' story to the Dark Lord.

Zelas did not even acknowledge Lorelei. Instead, she walked up to Xellos and stared down at him with a critical glare. "A full-blooded human..." she murmured. "Tell me, impudent human, just what gives you the audacity to come to a place such as Wolfpack Island?"

Xellos could feel the pressing stare of his master, and sensed his heart beginning to race in instinctive fear. "I... well... you see..." he stammered, unable to finish a sentence.

"L-Lord Beastmaster!" Lorelei interjected. "You just have to listen for a second! You see, it's-"

"Do not tell me what I have to do, Lorelei." Zelas replied coldly. "You and your little half-monster friend go back and wait outside with Salvia. I wish to speak with this human..." she narrowed her eyes, glaring gravely at Xellos. "..._alone_."

Lorelei herself began to panic. "B-but-"

"But _what_? Care to finish that sentence?" Zelas snapped.

"But of course... Lord Beastmaster..." Lorelei finished. "T-take all the time you need..."

Xellos shot his apprentice a glance that read 'don't leave me here!' To which she sent back a glare that asked 'what can I do?'

"Come on, Zara. Let's go... talk to Salvia..." she murmured, taking him by the hand. Zara looked back hesitantly-he actually kind of liked Xellos, and didn't want to leave him here by himself with Zelas. But he was NOT one to argue with the orders of a Dark Lord.

Once Zara and Lorelei had left, Zelas turned her attention back to Xellos once again. "Care to explain yourself now, human? What is the nature of your visit?"

"W-well, you see... Lord Beastmaster... you probably wouldn't believe this story at first... but-"

"I am not looking for stories." she growled. "I want to know exactly what it is that you are here for. Is it because you require my assistance with something?"

"W-well, yes..." Xellos began. "You see-"

"See what? You're asking for _my_ help? You want me to sacrifice something of my own just so that you can benefit in some way?" she grabbed his shoulder and jerked him closer. Xellos felt a jolt of fear- unconscious fear of injury, and a conscious fear that it might actually be possible that she wouldn't help him. "I could just as easily kill you as help you, you know." she continued, echoing his unease.

"B-but... I..." Xellos stammered.

"But you what? You're disappointed? What exactly would you do if I refused to help you, human?" Zelas asked, her eyes narrowing.

"W-well... I hadn't really thought of that..." Xellos mumbled.

"Hadn't thought of that? Obviously you were quite sure that I would be willing to help you with whatever little problem is bothering you. And what, pray tell, makes you impudent enough to assume that I would even be willing to give you the time of day?" Zelas asked, bending down so that she was nearly nose-to-nose with the former monster.

"Er... well... I'm sorry Lord Beastmaster, but I'm afraid that... it's actually _night_..." Xellos murmured warily.

Zelas seemed to ponder this statement for a moment, before leaning back, bursting out laughing. Xellos stiffened, surprised at hearing his master's outburst.

"Ah, it's good to see that your sense of humour at least hasn't changed, my dear Xellos!" she laughed.

"L-Lord Beastmaster!" Xellos gasped. "Y-you mean you-"

"Knew? Of course I did! I've been following you around for a little while. I must say, it was quite wise of you to hide your identity from that dragon- it could cause problems if she knew... _Enrico_." Zelas grinned.

"I was not the one who thought up that name, by the way." Xellos defended.

"Yes, but I think I rather like it. Perhaps we should change it to 'Enrico' permanently." Zelas said thoughtfully.

"I-I don't think so!" Xellos exclaimed. "What was all that about anyway- if you really knew who I was all along?"

Zelas laughed again. "Because, you've become such a fun human to play with, Xellos!"

"How wonderful for me..." Xellos sighed. "So... if you've already known about my... problem... could you possibly do something to fix it?"

"I've already been working on it." Zelas replied.

"Really?" Xellos asked, smiling. "So... how soon could I possibly get my original body back...?"

Zelas pondered this for a moment. "It may take weeks... or months... or possibly even years..."

"Y-years?" Xellos gasped, a look of horror and panic on his face.

"No, I'm just playing with you some more. It won't take nearly that long." Zelas replied, and Xellos sighed in relief.

"Then... seriously... how long?" he asked again.

"I'll need another month at the very least." Zelas replied. Xellos' eyes widened.

"A-an entire month?" he gasped. "B-but-"

"I said at the very least. It will probably take me one more month, possibly two. This is not a simple process, Xellos." Zelas replied, glaring at him seriously.

"I suppose it's not..." Xellos' voice trailed off. "But the blue moon is in a month and a half!"

"Then I shall have to work fast, won't I?" Zelas replied. "I assure you, I'm doing everything in my power at the moment to return you to your former state. You must return now, as your friends might get suspicious if the three of you are gone for a long period of time. Work hard to stop Elmyria, Xellos." Zelas released him with a wave of her hand, motioning for him to leave and join Lorelei and Zara.

"Thank you, master." he said as he began to leave, panicked thoughts going through his mind.

_I can't suffer through another whole month of this!_

* * *

"G'morning, Xellos. My, you look tired this morning." Lina commented to the boy who had come downstairs, unable to sleep any more- it wasn't that he wasn't tired; he was exhausted! But the thought of remaining a human for such a long time was not the most reassuring thing.

"I simply didn't get enough sleep last night. I'll be fine." Xellos said, waving Lina off. Gourry was helping her in the kitchen with breakfast, along with Zara, who didn't seem to have suffered from their late-night trip at all. Lorelei was lying lazily on the couch across the room. The rest of their friends hadn't made it downstairs yet.

"How come? Sharing a room with Filia too much for you?" Lina asked, smirking.

"N-no! This has nothing to do with Filia!" Xellos shot back. "I simply had some things that needed taking care of last night."

"Oh? And what sort of things?" Lina asked curiously.

Xellos grinned. "Well, that is a secret, of course."

"Of course." Lina rolled her eyes. "So, what do you want for breakfast? Anything in particular?"

"I don't really have a preference. As long as it includes tea." Xellos replied.

"Oh, yeah. Alright then~" Lina sighed. "We're having toast, then. Boy am I glad you're not picky, because if you were..."

"Well, now that you mention it, I think I might like something a bit more-" Xellos began.

"You're having toast and you're liking it." Lina ordered. Xellos laughed in response.

"Alright, I guess I am." he could always feel better by messing with some of his human 'friends.' "I suppose toast is as good a breakfast as any-" he was cut off by his own voice, mid-sentence, coughing in surprise. Lina and Gourry stared for a moment, and Lina began to giggle slightly. "W-what was that?" Xellos asked, seeing their faces as surprised as his own.

"I-I think..." Lina chuckled, "I think your voice just cracked."

"It what?" Xellos gave her a puzzled look that only induced more laughter from the sorceress.

"It means your voice is changing, I think." Gourry offered.

"Changing? Why? Is that bad?" Xellos looked around, completely confused.

"Well, it..." Lina began, but fell into more hysteric giggling. "... oh, you're so clueless!"

"Miss Lina!" Xellos groaned. "Tell me!"

"Well... oh, hey! Good morning, Zel! Just the person I wanted to see!" Lina switched her focus from Xellos to the chimera who had just woken up and joined the rest of the group downstairs.

"G'morning Lina... why does the fact that you want to see me make me slightly suspicious?" Zelgadis replied. "And what's with the laughter?"

"W-well..." Lina said, trying to get her point across between giggles. " Zel, can you tell our friend Xellos why his voice is changing?"

Zelgadis stared at Xellos for a moment. "...really now? Is that so?"

"I just want to know what it means! Is it a bad thing?" Xellos defended. Zelgadis contemplated this for a moment.

"Oh yes." he replied with a grave expression. "Very bad."

"What does it mean?" Xellos asked again, getting annoyed that no one was answering his question.

"It means that the connection between your astral body and this human body is being severed. In short, if it is totally cut, then you won't be able to survive... so it's very, very dangerous. You could be dying as we speak." Zelgadis said, noticing Xellos' incredulous expression.

"Wh-what?~" Xellos exclaimed, his voice breaking into its upper register again. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and continued. "Th-that is technically impossible by pretty much every standard that I have learned. Even if it were possible for my astral body to become detached from this one in some manner, the effects would certainly manifest themselves in quite a different fashion."

"I know. I just made that up." Zelgadis replied. "But wow, did you ever believe it for a second!" he laughed, quickly joined by Lina.

"And that voice!" she added. "I'd try to mimic it, but it's just so hard, I can't!"

"H-hey! That's certainly not very nice of you guys!" Xellos stammered.

"Yeah Lina, that isn't very nice at all. Don't pick on him- he can't help it!" Gourry defended.

Lina sighed. "Gourry, I love you, but can you please go be kind somewhere else?"

Gourry ignored Lina for the moment. "Don't worry so much. It happens to everyone." he assured Xellos.

"Yeah. I mean, compare Zara and Gourry's voices. Gourry certainly didn't have this kind of voice when he was a little kid, and Zara's not going to have the same voice forever. It happens to all humans, even the girls, somewhat." Lina added. "But it's still funny!" she grinned, causing herself and Zel to lapse into another fit of laughter.

"My goodness, what's all this laughter about first thing in the morning?"

Lina looked up, a sudden pleasant smile spreading over her face. "Filia! Good morning!" she exclaimed. "You couldn't have picked better timing! You see, Enrico-"

"I-it's nothing!" Xellos attempted to assure the dragon. "Nothing at all. Miss Lina and Mister Zelgadis were just... having a bit of fun at my expense. That's all. Nothing of any importance, really."

"Oh... okay..." Filia murmured, staring at him in concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Y-yes! Of course! I was just... going back to bed now... didn't get nearly enough sleep last night." Xellos replied, beginning to make his way up the stairs. _Oh, Lord Beastmaster, please hurry up! I can't take another whole month of this! Humans are just too confusing!_

Amelia was coming down the staircase at the same moment. She smiled. "Good morning Mister Enri-" she stopped as Xellos walked right past her without a word. "Mister Enrico? What was that about?"

"I don't know. Ask Miss Lina and Mister Zelgadis." Filia replied. The elicited a grin from Zel, and another fit of giggles from Lina. Amelia looked at the two in confusion, and then back at Filia.

"I get the feeling that I missed something important..." she murmured.

"Boy, do I know how you feel." Filia agreed.

* * *

"So, we're splitting up now?" Xellos asked. The group had finished breakfast, and were now discussing what they planned to do.

"Yep. I decided that, since the monsters have an upper hand over us since they can just teleport to wherever these relics are- we need to divide and conquer. I've already made the groups too- there's three of them!" Lina replied. "And hopefully you'll be happy with the partners I've assigned you."

"Assigned us?" Amelia asked in trepidation.

"Of course." Lina nodded. "I have the groups all figured out."

"I, for one, am not so sure I'd want to go along with whatever Lina has planned..." Zelgadis murmured.

Lina grinned. "Well, too bad. You're stuck where I put you, got it?"

"I'm what?" Zelgadis growled. Amelia grabbed his hand.

"Just tell us the groups, Miss Lina." she said.

"Alright, fine." Lina nodded. "Zel and Amelia are a group."

"That's good." Zelgadis sighed. "What about the rest of you?"

"The rest of us will divide up evenly. There'll be Enrico, Filia, and Lorelei in one, and me, Gourry, and Zara in the other." Lina explained.

"For once one of your hare-brained ideas actually makes sense." Zelgadis commented. "After all, you put the right people together."

"Thank you." Lina nodded. "So... no one objects to this arrangement, right?"

"Um, Lina... what about Lorelei and me?" Zara asked.

Lina frowned. "What _about_ you? You're in different groups."

"I know. That's the problem." Zara replied, trying to give Lina a pleading look. He didn't use it a lot, since he knew it was her weakness, but he had just agreed to be the monster's protector, and he didn't want to be separated from her so quickly.

"Sorry, Zara, but I chose the groups and they're staying like they are." Lina replied, closing her eyes. "Unless, of course, you want to ditch me and Gourry and go off with those three..."

"N-no. It's fine." Zara replied, as the group began to gather their things in preparation to leave. Zara walked up to Lorelei. "I'm sorry..." he murmured.

"Why? It's not your fault. Stupid Lina made the groups, not you." Lorelei replied.

"Yeah... but I really wanted to protect you..." Zara murmured.

"You can." Lorelei replied, grabbing his hand. "If I ever need you, I'll make sure I find you, and bring you back with me so that you can defend me. Okay?"

"Alright. Thanks, Lorelei." Zara said, smiling.

"Yo, Zara! Are we going or not?" Lina called from across the room.

"R-right! Coming!" Zara called back. He quickly grabbed Lorelei's arm and kissed her on the cheek, before running to join his parents. Lorelei stood for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. She was almost too shocked to truly enjoy the stunned expression on Lina's face- almost.

Lorelei couldn't help but smile. Things FINALLY seemed to be going her way. Xellos had been assured by Zelas that he would regain his original form, Zara had promised to protect her, they were finally going to actually do something about this situation that they were in, and now Zara had actually kissed her- not to mention right in front of Lina! Even though the eight friends were about to be separated from one another, Lorelei could feel that most of them felt pretty optimistic about it too. She grinned.

Best morning ever.

* * *

(A/N: Yeah! Alright! Go Zara! ...*cough* Anyway, they'll be splitting up, so the next chapters are going to focus on one group at a time... And poor Xellos! I feel like I abuse him too much! The next time he shows up, things are finally going to go his way just a little bit! I promise!)


	16. 16: Searches and Distractions

(Okay, here we are at chapter 16- in which it gets a little confusing! I have 3 different scenarios going at once, since they are split up, so it may be hard to follow… if it is, I apologise! As always, I don't own any of the characters, I'm just playing with them for my own amusement. ^.^)

* * *

**16- Searches and Distractions**

"What an absolutely lovely little village. It seems so happy." Filia commented. "I wouldn't expect a powerful relic created by monsters to be found here."

"You'd be surprised, Miss Filia." Xellos commented. "Actually the relic here is used by the humans for ceremonies of love- such as weddings. They say that it can tell whether or not someone is in love."

Filia gasped. "Love? Really? Why on earth would the monster race make such an item?"

Xellos shrugged. "It's not exactly for gauging love, per se. It's actually a magical item that can register emotions- the humans here have simply only used it for that purpose. It can gauge any emotion. Fear, anger, hatred, sadness..."

"I get the picture." Filia replied.

"But you guys, don't these people guard it really well?" Lorelei interrupted.

"That's right, they do." Xellos nodded. "In fact, they keep it sealed away, and only bring it out for ceremonial purposes, like weddings."

"Then how are we supposed to get it if the stupid humans keep it locked up all the time?" Lorelei whined.

"Don't worry yourself, Lorelei dear." Xellos said. "I have a plan."

"And that plan includes..." Filia began nervously.

"Well, if there were not already going to be a wedding here in the next few days, I'd say that we make our own. But as luck would have it, there _is_ actually a wedding that is going to be held here tomorrow. Wonderful timing, I must say." Xellos replied.

"Okay, that's good... but how do we get the relic?" Filia asked.

"Simple, Miss Filia." Xellos responded. "We don't have to go for the actual ceremony, we just crash the reception, make sure everyone is having a good time and not paying any attention to the relic, and then take it for ourselves. Perfect idea, right?"

"T-take it? You mean steal it?" Filia gasped. "How horrible!"

"But Miss Filia, we'll return it one it's safe!" Xellos encouraged. "And just think- if we don't crash that party, then Elmyria or Valgaav might! And don't you think the lucky couple would rather have us at their party than _that _duo?"

"I... didn't think about that..." Filia murmured. "But still... to crash a party- one of the most important parties of someone's life- and then to steal this relic that's so important to everyone in the town! Oh, Mister Enrico, do you really think this plan is a good one?"

"Do you happen to have a better trick up your sleeve, Miss Filia?" Xellos asked pointedly. Filia didn't reply, looking sheepishly away from Xellos. "I didn't think so." he continued. "Now, let's get going! We need to make sure it's not apparent that we're uninvited guests- so we need something to wear!"

"Why do I have the worst feeling about this?" Filia murmured to herself.

* * *

"You can't find anyone willing to be our guide?" Amelia gasped. She was certain that they'd find someone in the town that they were staying at who would know about the particular cave and would be willing to help them find the relic before Elmyria or Valgaav got to it. But it seemed like no one in the town wanted anything to do with the mountains to the north.

"I think some people said something about a monster." Zelgadis said. "Whatever it is, the people seem pretty scared by it."

"A... monster?" Amelia stammered. "Maybe we should ask someone about it."

"We could ask the man at the inn we stayed a last night." Zel suggested. "He'd been here a long time- surely he'll know something about it."

"That sounds like our best bet." Amelia agreed.

* * *

"Aah, the monster in the northern mountains, eh? There quite a long story behind that, if you'd like to hear it."

"Oh really?" Zelgadis asked curiously. "Yes, please."

The older man seemed pleased that a young person would be interested in hearing the story. He sat upright and smiled happily at Zelgadis and Amelia.

"Now, here's the story- the first part is what I know for sure, while the second part is merely speculation. But I'll let you know when we get there." he said. "Anyway, several years ago, we had a particular young mage in our town who was incredibly skilled in lithomancy and the art of making golems."

"Golems, huh?" Zelgadis asked curiously. It was a subject that piqued his interest- for obvious reasons.

"Yep. Creatures made out of stone. You see, she was a beautiful young thing, but she preferred to be sort of an outcast. She seemed to like the company of her stone creations more than actual people."

"That's sad." Amelia commented. "After all, the golems were under her control, right? Then they might have been nice to have around, but they can't replace real friends!"

The man nodded. "That's very true. But Shira- that was her name, Shira, she just wasn't a very social person. So eventually she left town to live in the northern mountains so that she could be closer to the granite quarry that she used for her golem-making, and to get away from people. We always saw her on occasion when she dropped by the village, but about a year ago, she stopped coming back. No one ever saw her again. About the same time she disappeared, people began reporting seeing a strange, golem-like monster on the mountains. It appeared like a golem from a distance, but it was very obvious that no one was controlling it."

"You meant it was acting on its own?" Zelgadis asked. "An autonomous golem?"

"That's what people say..." the man replied. "So, we don't know for sure, but people seem to have a pretty good idea of what happened. You see, there was a rumour going around that Shira was studying chimerism in order to produce an autonomous golem. A free-thinking, completely independent creature made from stone. Quite a scary thought, huh?"

"It is..." Amelia murmured. "So you think that... the monster people have been seeing could be..."

The man nodded gravely. "Most people believe that Shira finally succeeded in creating her independent golem... but it turned against its creator and killed her... and then with no person to control it, the golem simply went away on its own whims... making it an insanely dangerous creature..."

"I'll say." Zelgadis agreed. "Golems are practically invincible- it takes a lot of magic to get through their tough armour. Plus they're really strong, which makes them extra dangerous, especially to other creatures. They could inflict minor injuries to a human without even trying."

The man nodded again in agreement. "You seem to have a detailed knowledge of golems, young man. Did you ever make them?"

"Well... let's just say I've had a LOT of first-hand experience with them..." Zelgadis replied.

"I see." the man laughed. "Well, if Shira were still around, I think she'd really appreciate the company of a young man who knew so much about golems."

"Thanks. She sounds like an interesting person." Zelgadis nodded.

"Yeah! I would love to have met her!" Amelia agreed. "She sounds so knowledgeable!"

"She was." the man nodded. "But... that's all the story I can tell you, I'm afraid."

"I see." Zelgadis replied. "Well, thank you very much. I suppose we'll just have to find the cave ourselves, then."

"Don't worry! We're great at finding stuff! I'm sure we'll get there in no time!" Amelia exclaimed happily.

"What? You two are going to the northern mountains... by yourselves? That's far too dangerous for a lovely couple like you-"

"We'll be fine!" Amelia assured him. "We have the power of Justice on our side, not to mention each other!"

"The power of Justice, eh?" the man sighed. "I suppose that if you young people want to be reckless, then who am I to stop you? Just be careful."

"We will." Zelgadis said. "Tell us, are there any other dangers on the mountains besides this apparent golem-monster?"

The man thought for a moment. "No, nothing I can think of that's dangerous to humans. There is a pack of rogue demons that live on the mountainsides, but they don't tend to bother humans. They only get riled up if another demonic being comes into their territory- they're very territorial. But you two should be fine, since neither of you is a demon!" the man laughed.

Zelgadis and Amelia exchanged a serious look.

"D-do you think that they..." Amelia began.

"They probably only go after full-blooded demons. A creature that is only one fourth demon probably won't stir their interest very much." Zelgadis replied.

Amelia nodded. "That sounds right." she turned back to the man. Thanks so much for your help!" she enthused.

"No problem." he replied, wondering what that little conversation at the end had been about. He hadn't heard what they were saying, but it seemed to be important. _Oh well... _he thought. _I wish you two the best of luck. Heaven knows you'll need it._

* * *

"H-hey! Lina! That was mine!"

"You were so busy talking, it didn't look like you were going to eat it!"

"I WAS going to eat it, if you had just let me finish what I was saying!"

"Well, finish what you were saying, then!"

It was once again the same mealtime routine between Lina and Gourry- and this time there was no one around to criticise it. Zara was used to it already, so he simply sat back and watched the chaos unfold, unhungrily munching on a small piece of toast.

"Look." Gourry continued, stuffing another piece of food in his mouth to keep it away from Lina. "There's this group that leads geological expeditions that I heard about, who know the surrounding area very well. They're always willing to accept new members, even if the people are just passing through and will only be joining the group for a short time. I think it's a good way to get information about where the reddish -thing might be hidden."

"Relic." Lina corrected, taking another bunch of food for herself. "But that's awfully smart of you. I'm impressed.

"Thank you very much." Gourry beamed. "Ah, but there's a catch..." he continued. Lina sighed. There was always a catch.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Well... about the people they let join the group..." Gourry paused for a moment. "they... don't allow girls."

Lina choked on her mouthful of food. "They what?" she demanded. "They don't allow girls?"

"Yeah..." Gourry murmured.

"So what did you expect me to do? Sit back and watch while you guys rush off to save the world?"

"N-no! Of course not!" Gourry answered her. He'd had a feeling that Lina would get mad when she heard about it. "I... had an idea..."

"Oh, I get it!" Lina exclaimed. "I can use my magic to threaten them into letting me join! Perfect!" she grinned at the thought of blowing up a particularly ignorant group of geologists.

"Uh... well... actually..." Gourry began, "that's not exactly what I had in mind. If you cause too much of a commotion, it could make it easier for Valgaav and whatever-her-name-is to find us...which could be bad..."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" Lina exclaimed. She suddenly stopped. Gourry's face told her that he had an answer to that question, and she was beginning to get an idea of what it might be. "No..." she murmured. "N-no! NO! Don't even begin thinking about it!"

"But Lina..." Gourry said. He figured that Lina had an idea of where his plan was going now.

"Not going to happen! Never in a million years!"

"But Lina, after all those time you dressed me up like a girl..." Gourry protested.

"You dressed up like a girl?" Zara asked, suddenly paying attention to the conversation.

"Yeah... a very long time ago..." Gourry murmured. "But I did! So don't you think it's fair for Lina to do something like that too? After all, it's to help save the world!"

"But Gourry... Lina is already a girl." Zara pointed out.

Gourry and Lina stared at him for a moment. "He gets that from_ you_." she scolded. "And anyway Zara, Gourry wants me to dress up like a boy, which is NOT happening! Got it?"

"But Lina, you'd make a really good boy." Zara said.

_THUMP!_

"Ow ow..." Zara murmured, rubbing his head where Lina had given him a good thwack. "What was that for? It was a compliment."

"Well, it was the rudest compliment I've ever heard." Lina replied. "You don't tell people that they'd look good as the opposite gender. That's just not right."

"But what if it's true?" Zara asked. "Like, I'm sure Gourry would make a good girl."

"Hey!" Gourry exclaimed.

"See? Gourry doesn't like it either. Show some tactfulness once in a while, would you?" Lina chided.

"Sorry Lina... I wasn't paying much attention. I was distracted." the boy admitted.

"Well pay more attention next time. Okay? We need to focus right now." Lina said, trying to snap him out of it. She was fairly certain that he had been distracted thinking about a certain pink-haired monster, which only made her angrier at the moment.

"Lina..." Gourry began again. "Come on... you don't want those monster to get their hands on this thing, do you? Work with us here."

Lina looked back and forth between Gourry and Zara for a couple moments, unsure of what she was supposed to say. They were both giving her that pleading stare...

"Oh... ALRIGHT!" she growled. "But JUST THIS ONCE! And ONLY for the sake of the world! Got it?"

"Alright, Lina!" Gourry congratulated happily. "That's the spirit! I promise, once we find that... whatever-it-is, you seriously don't have to dress up like a boy anymore! Okay?"

"Okay..." Lina growled. "Geez, the messes I get myself into..."

* * *

"We're not supposed to be here... we're not supposed to be here..." Filia murmured over and over to herself as the trio made their way into the large crowd of people.

"Relax, will you?" Xellos said. "Everything's fine. We'll make sure everyone is distracted, grab the relic, and then leave. Of course... we can always have a bit of fun first..."

"A bit of fun? What do you mean by that...?" Filia asked warily.

"I just mean that we can enjoy ourselves a bit. You wouldn't mind that, would you, Miss Filia. You do like to dance, right?"

"I... I suppose so..." Filia replied. "Where in the world did Lorelei run off to?"

Xellos shrugged. "Somewhere off having fun, I suppose. We should do the same, don't you think?"

"I don't like this..." Filia said. "But I suppose we should just make the best of it... desperate times call for desperate measures... right...?"

She turned around, but Xellos had already taken off through the crowd to find something interesting to do. Finally he was around a large group of people- something he knew how to play with, and enjoyed terrorising. Now he was finally going to make up for all the nice things he'd done as a human with a little monster-style fun.

Filia searched the crowd, trying to find something to do. There was a large dance floor with many people on it, dancing to the upbeat music. Filia decided that she really would like to dance... but didn't have a partner...

"Excuse me, Miss?" Filia heard a male voice behind her. She cringed inwardly. Of course- they'd been found out! Now they were going to be in big trouble.

"Y-yes?" she choked.

"You looked lonely, and I just thought that a lovely lady like yourself shouldn't have to go without a dance partner on such a happy occasion. Care to join me?" The young man stretched his hand toward her invitingly. Filia blushed and sighed with relief. He was only asking her to dance.

"Why, thank you so much. I didn't come with a date, so I'm a bit lonely, I suppose. You've cheered me up." she offered the young man a smile and took his hand.

Filia was grateful for the company as the two twirled around the dance floor. Dancing with someone who actually had been invited made her look like much less of an outsider. The two talked about many things- apparently the young man didn't know the bride and groom either. His parents were friends of their parents, so he was obligated to come. They had a good laugh when Filia admitted that she couldn't even remember the names of the people. The two continued dancing for a while, despite some commotion within the crowd- they managed to easily ignore it as they were enjoying themselves so much.

Xellos noticed the pair and glared at the young man unhappily. "I can dance much better than that pathetic human... I'll show him..." he muttered. Xellos approached the couple and lightly tapped the man on the shoulder, causing them to stop. "Excuse me sir, may I be so rude as to cut in?" he asked with a suave smile.

"Why, of course you may. You're not being rude at all." The young man nodded, though Xellos could still sense a tad bit of annoyance, seeing that his replacement was practically a child.

"M-Mister Enrico? What are you doing?" Filia gasped.

"Dancing, Miss Filia." Xellos replied. "There's nothing wrong with a kid trying to dance with his friends at a party, now is there?"

"I guess not..." Filia replied. She was somewhat surprised at his voice- it certainly didn't sound like a kid's. Maybe she hadn't quite been paying attention to how it had been changing. "Of course. I'd like to see how well you dance."

Xellos grinned. "Wonderful. I'd like to see how you can dance as well." he said, putting a hand on Filia's shoulder and another around her waist, leading in time to the music.

* * *

"You look great!" Gourry enthused, giving Lina a thumbs-up. "Don't you think she looks good, Zara?"

"Yeah!" Zara agreed.

Lina sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. She had her hair tied back in a loose ponytail, so that its length would be a bit less obvious, and it wouldn't look so feminine. She had swapped her normal pink shirt for a white collared shirt which she wore underneath a loose fitting brown top that was large enough for her to have worn as a dress. She put her belts over it, keeping her talismans just in case she needed them. Underneath that she had long brown pants and large boots. "I'm still not sure about some of this stuff." she murmured.

"Well, I think it looks fine." Gourry commented. "You hair looks less girl-ish when you have it tied back like that, and we needed something that was loose-fitting. I guess it's a good thing you've got such a flat chest-" Lina elbowed him hard. "B-but- you have such a nice figure... it's a shame we have to hide it, but people would be able to tell right away that you weren't a boy..."

Lina sighed. "Compliments aren't going to get you anywhere with me right now." she said.

"Of course not. I wasn't complimenting, I was just stating facts." he replied. "And, last but not least..." He took a tan plaid cap and placed it over Lina's head. It was slightly too large, and the brim in the front fell down almost over her eyes.

"A hat? What is this for?" Lina asked.

"I wasn't sure... I thought maybe it could help draw attention away from your face. You have such a pretty face..." Gourry replied. "And it hides it fairly well, I think..."

Lina sure _hoped _that it hid her face fairly well- since she was positive she had turned several shades of red by this point. Since when did she have a nice figure and a pretty face? Gourry had told her before that he thought so, but she couldn't help getting flustered whenever he mentioned it. Even she didn't see herself that way. _Well, they say love is blind... _she thought to herself.

"Are you REALLY sure this is going to work?" Lina asked sceptically.

"Of course! You look great!" Gourry enthused. "But... what do we tell the geologists about how you, Zara, and I are related...?"

Lina shrugged. "Just tell them that we're brothers and Zara is our... nephew or something."

"Oh, I've got it! Good idea!" Gourry replied. "Okay then! Let's go save the world! ...or something like that..."

* * *

(A/N: So, was it too hard to follow? I personally enjoyed writing this stuff- especially Lina! Haha~)


	17. 17: Let's Have A Party! maybe

(Here we go again! According to some of the reviews, the triple-scenario wasn't too confusing, so I kept it. I like it better knowing what all the characters are doing at the same time anyway… So do enjoy! And as always, I don't own the characters, I just have fun putting them in difficult situations… *evil laugh*)

* * *

**17- ****Let's Have a Party! …maybe…**

Xellos twirled Filia around the dance floor with graceful steps, never missing a beat. Thankfully, this human form of his didn't have two left feet, as he feared it would. Filia was highly impressed with the boy's ability.

"Mister Enrico, you're such a good dancer." she commented.

"Why thank you, Miss Filia. You're not so bad yourself." he replied, grinning. He'd was sure from her reaction that he'd successfully surpassed her previous dancing partner, which gave him a good bit of satisfaction. _Hah! _He thought. _Serves him right for going after MY dragon!_

"Say, Mister Enrico?" Filia repeated.

"Hmmm?" Xellos inquired.

"What was that commotion back there? I thought I heard people yelling." Filia repeated. She had been curious when she'd heard it, but had not wanted to stop dancing to investigate.

"That? Oh, erm..." he avoided eye contact with the dragon, trying to look as innocent as possible. "A couple of kids found themselves some crickets and threw them in the punch bowl... and then the mother of the bride got herself some punch and saw the little buggers... oh, she went absolutely mad!" Xellos tried in vain to stifle a small laugh, but Filia didn't seem to notice.

"How horrifying! People should really pay attention to the actions of their children!" Filia exclaimed.

"Pay attention indeed..." Xellos murmured amusedly.

"Was that all that happened?" Filia continued. "It seemed like a much bigger commotion than just one person screaming."

"Well, you know the little beta fish in the containers on the tables?" Xellos asked.

"Yeah... what happened?"

"The kids- same kids- took all the fish out of the bowls... very stealthily, of course... and placed them all in one bowl. My goodness, did those fish ever come to blows!"

"Oh dear! The poor fish! Did they kill each other? I've heard that betas are known to do that!" Filia replied.

"Not all of them. One fish managed to assert himself the victor." Xellos replied with a grin.

"Oh, Mister Enrico! How can you be so casual about this! You look as though you actually enjoyed seeing those poor fish fight each other!" Filia whined.

Xellos HAD found the scene rather hilarious, but he refrained from saying anything about that. "Miss Filia, I think it's just funny how worked up everyone got about it! There was so much unnecessary commotion!"

"Terrible... simply terrible..." Filia sighed. "Dear oh dear..."

"Just take your mind off of it, Miss Filia. What's done is done. Let's just have a bit of fun, shall we? Come on, the music's much more upbeat than we're dancing!" Xellos encouraged. He tugged on her arm, pulling her by the waist toward a place in the dance floor where there were not as many people, swinging her around energetically. Filia was absolutely startled for a moment, but seemed delighted by the upbeat dancing. She laughed happily as the two of them swung around in time to the lively music, neither of them sure what dance they were doing, and both of them sure that they were having a great time.

* * *

Zelgadis and Amelia managed to make their way up the mountain, keeping a wary eye out for anything that looked like it might be suspicious or dangerous. They didn't see anything that indicated that the place was dangerous- a few rocky cliffs, a plant here and there, a few caves, though none big enough to be the one that they were searching for.

"I don't know what is so scary about this place. I think it's quite pretty." Amelia commented.

"Yeah, me too. But I guess it's not so pretty when you're getting chased by a living golem, now is it?" Zelgadis reasoned.

Amelia laughed. "Yes, I supposed that would mess up the experience just a tad bit."

"For sure." Zelgadis agreed. "It's getting a little late... we've been walking all day. I wonder if we should find a place to camp."

"Sounds like a good idea!" Amelia said. "Oh, wait, you mean there's not an inn up here? How disappointing." she joked, laughing.

Zelgadis sighed and shook his head. "Oh Amelia... you're funny."

"Thanks." Amelia replied, grabbing his hand and dragging him further up the cliff. "I think there's a cave up here. The entrance is up on that ledge. –It's perfect. It's somewhat secluded and protected. We shouldn't have to worry about people attacking us."

"It's not _people _that we're worried about." Zelgadis pointed out.

"I know that, but you're never safe from everything else anywhere." Amelia replied.

"That's true." Zelgadis admitted. "We'll have to be careful when we enter the cave that it doesn't have any residents already. If we disturb them, we could have a situation on our hands."

"Indeed." Amelia nodded. She got to the ledge and climbed over it easily. Reaching over the edge, she extended a hand to Zelgadis, who obviously didn't need it, but took it anyway.

"Well, looks safe enough to me. Seems deserted." Zelgadis commented.

"Yeah. I figure that we'll be safe here!" Amelia agreed, going inside the cave to have a look. It wasn't a large cave, only extending a few metres into the mountainside. But it was large enough for a several people to camp there comfortably- two people would be fine. Amelia noticed the differences she had seen between other caves and this one. Some caves she had seen had large stalactites hanging from the ceiling like stone chandeliers, and massive stalagmites growing from the floor. Often the caves features would be elaborate and found on many walls of the cave. Though in some cases, such as this one, the walls of the cave would simply be bare rock. Amelia began to wonder what caused such a difference between cave features. What caused the difference in cave type?

"Hey, Zelgadis?" she began.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I was just wondering why some caves have a lot of pretty features, while other caves like this are very plain. It's kind of puzzling, don't you think?"

"Not really. It all depends on how they're formed. The caves that have stalactites and stalagmites are usually limestone caves that were formed by water that contained carbonic acid, which was able to dissolve the stone. While simple caves like this were probably carved out by glaciers. I'd expect that there was a large amount of glaciers here at one point." Zelgadis replied, examining the cave surroundings.

"Wow~!" Amelia's eyes sparkled. "I didn't realise that caves could be so different! You're so smart!"

"It's just some things you pick up on when you've read almost every book about rocks ever published..." Zelgadis replied, blushing slightly. "So, do you think we-" He stopped suddenly, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword. Amelia looked up.

"Wh-what's going on...?" she began. Zelgadis grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her closer to his side.

"Demons..." he began. "We're surrounded."

"S-surrounded?" Amelia gasped. Looking around her, she realised that he was right. There were demons all around them. Wolf-like in appearance, they were all glaring directly at the demon-chimera that had intruded upon their territory.

"Why do they look like that? You're only one-fourth demon! They shouldn't be mad at you for going onto their territory! Can't they see that you don't mean any harm?"

"I don't think that they're those type of demons, Amelia... any other demonic being that trespasses onto their territory, they will go after. It doesn't matter how little of that person actually is a demon..." Zelgadis said.

"What do we do? Do we attack them?" Amelia asked.

"Well, we've got no choice but to defend ourselves..." Zelgadis replied.

* * *

Lina was surprised to realise that she was actually a bit nervous about meeting this group of people. Would they realise that she wasn't actually a boy? She doubted it, but couldn't be sure. Just in case, she pulled the large, tan cap farther down over her face. Perhaps she could pass herself off as a loner who didn't talk much. Then she wouldn't have as much to worry about. But... she could NOT allow Gourry to do all the talking- they'd never get any information that way!

"So, you're the people wanting to join us for a little while to learn more about the region, is that right?" A large, heavily built man, who was obviously the leader of the group, addressed Lina, Gourry, and Zara.

"R-right!" Gourry replied. "Uh, I'm Gourry... this is my... little brother, Lian. And our nephew... Zara..."

The man smiled. "Well, nice to meet you guys! You seem like a friendly bunch! Welcome!" He eyed Zara hesitantly. "Though... don't you think the kid is a little young? Some of the stuff we do is rather dangerous..."

"Zara's fine." Lina defended. "He's a strong kid, and he's always wanting to learn."

"Well, those are the two things that we look for! I guess if you say he'll do alright, then he'll be fine! Anyway, I'm Triarthrus." he introduced himself, taking Gourry's hand and shaking it vigorously. He shook Lina's hand as well, pumping her arm up and down with both hands. "Goodness, son, if you're gonna give a handshake, put more effort into it! You shake hands like a girl!" Triarthrus laughed.

"Sorry, I haven't exactly kept up with my hand-shaking exercises lately... I suppose I should get back to that, huh?" Lina replied sarcastically.

Triarthrus laughed. "Hah, that's a good one! I like you already, kid! Though you haven't got much to you, huh? Kinda short and scrawny... nothing like your big brother here, eh? Don't worry, though! You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, and that counts for a lot!"

"Um... thank you...?" Lina murmured. Triarthrus said that he liked her, but she wasn't so sure that the feeling was mutual.

"Here, let me introduce you to the team." Triarthrus motioned toward the group of men, seated in a circle around the campfire, laughing and talking happily. They were a variety of ages, from a boy who couldn't have been more than 15, and some older men who looked as if they might be in their late 60s.

"Let's see..." Triarthrus said, scanning the group. "This is Atrypa, Jobaria, Raphus, Acer, and Betula." he then motioned to the boy. "And this one here is my son, Ktenoura." The dark-haired boy gave a nod and a grin.

"Nice to meet'cha." he greeted them. "Since you're new, I'll help you out. You see, we've got two rules of thumb around here- one, don't listen to anything my dad says. He's full of hot air. Second of all, don't eat anything he cooks. You'll either wake up sick, or not wake up at all."

"Third rule of thumb-" Triarthrus laughed, playfully ruffling his son's hair. "the first two rules of thumb don't apply."

"Says you." Ktenoura grinned, and then father and son broke out into a fit of laughter.

Lina, Gourry, and Zara watched in amazement. She leaned over to her companion. "Say, Gourry? Do they remind you ever-so-vaguely of the Seyruun family?"

"Just a little." Gourry whispered back.

"Gourry! Lian! Zara! Get yourselves over here and introduce yourselves! " Triarthrus called, motioning for the trio to join them around the campfire. "We've got dinner and I know that everyone is dying to hear about you! Come on!"

Lina and Gourry grinned at each other. "Dinner sounds good." Gourry said.

"Really good." Lina added.

* * *

Lorelei wandered outside the building, trying to make sure not to get caught up in all the festivities. Things had been nice when she and Xellos had caused a commotion, but now the party was lively and festive again, and the positive feelings were giving her a massive headache.

"I guess Xellos is lucky that he's a human at this point. A monster couldn't stand to be in there for too long..." she murmured to herself. It was quite lonely outside, and Lorelei sat down on a patch of grass, staring through a window. She could see the bride and groom standing together, obviously elated- just the sight of them left a bad taste in her mouth.

Still, it made her think.

"I wonder if I'd look good in a white dress..." she murmured to herself contemplatively. "Nah... even if it was a pretty dress... I'd still look like a little kid..." she sighed. "That couple looks so grown up... I wonder if Zara and I'll ever be grown up enough to..." Lorelei shook her head. What was she thinking? Getting so worked up- she needed to be focused on swiping the relic from the party.

She stood up quickly. The relic! She'd completely forgotten! Lorelei guessed that Xellos and Filia were probably already working on that, and were wondering where she was. They'd be furious if they found out that she was outside, daydreaming like a lovesick child! So much for being 'grown-up!'

"I've got to go find that relic!" She exclaimed.

"I do apologise, but I believe that's my job."

Lorelei spun around quickly. The voice was vaguely and disturbingly familiar. She growled at the teal-haired monster. "Y-you... you're the fiend who kidnapped my best friend! Valgaav!"

Valgaav sneered. "Oh, how lovely that you remember my name. I'm afraid I'm not quite familiar with yours, though. That's too bad... I could use it for intimidation before getting rid of you... oh well..."

"Get rid of me? I think not!" Lorelei responded. "Hah! I'm the one who'll be getting rid of you!"

"Rather high and mighty for a little girl, are we not?" Valgaav laughed. "A pipsqueak like you couldn't possibly be more than just talk. Stop spouting rubbish and surrender. Unless you want to be beaten the hard way..."

"D-did you just call me a little girl and a pipsqueak?" Lorelei seethed. "I'll prove to you that I'm an adult! I'll prove it by beating you!"

* * *

Lina and Gourry hungrily scarfed down the food given to them, while the men watched in amusement. "Boy, you two can really eat." Ktenoura commented.

"Yeah! Even Lian!" Triarthrus laughed. "Though you'd have no idea if you look at him!"

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult." Lina said between gulps of food.

"A compliment, I assure you. You may shake hands like a girl, kid, but you certainly don't eat like one." The leader of the group laughed heartily. "It's a good thing Jobaria cooked more than enough for everyone."

"Yeah, good thing!" Gourry agreed.

Lina swiped a piece of bread off Gourry's plate, and he grabbed for it, but wasn't fast enough. "HEY!" he yelled. "LIN-" The swordsman quickly caught himself. He'd almost used her real name. "Lian, that was mine!"

Lina shot a quick glance at the rest of the men, who didn't seem at all suspicious of Gourry's near mispronunciation of his "brother's" name. "You snooze, you lose, Gourry." she laughed.

"But I wasn't sleeping! I was wide awake!"

"Oh well... Still! I got it, so it's mine!" Lina reasoned. She stole another piece of bread from his plate.

"No fair!" Gourry yelled, stealing more food from Lina's plate. Soon it seemed as if they were eating off each other's plates more than their own.

The man named Raphus leaned down to Zara. "Do your uncles normally eat like this?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yeah. You get used to it after a while." Zara nodded in reply.

"I see..." the man murmured.

"I'm just glad someone's enjoying my food. You all don't show enough appreciation for my cooking skills." Jobaria joked.

"Jobaria, you're a scientist, not a chef." Triarthrus laughed. "We all are."

"Oh oh! I'm a chef!" Zara called, raising his hand.

"Are you really?" Raphus asked the boy.

"Yeah! I have a friend named Mister Josiah, and he taught me everything I know! He cooks for royalty!" Zara enthused.

"Royalty, eh? And what royalty is this?" Acer questioned.

"He used to work in Seyruun, and now he's working for the royal family of Sairaag." Zara explained.

"Sounds like Gourry and Lian have a little gourmet chef in tow with them. You'll have to let him cook for us sometime, guys!" Triarthrus laughed. "So who sent him to study with that chef anyway? Was it his mother?"

Lina coughed. "His mother was against it." she said. "She didn't want her son getting turned into the artsy type. She never did like those types of people very much."

"Oh my. Then how'd that work out?" Ktenoura asked.

"His parents got involved in something dangerous, and she cared about his safety more than she disliked that sort of thing. You know how that is. The girl loves him to pieces. It's actually kind of sad." Lina explained. It felt strange talking about herself in third person. Gourry and Zara shot her a look, and she wondered if she had said too much. But if they asked her later, she figured that she could chalk it up to keeping her cover.

"I understand. Moms can be so overprotective sometimes." Ktenoura said.

"And not just to their kids either, right Ktenoura?" Triarthrus laughed.

"Yeah. They're just kind of overprotective in general." Ktenoura agreed. "Mothers are just paranoid by nature."

"They are _not_!" Lina snapped. She suddenly regretted coming to her own defence as the group all shot puzzled looks at her. "I...I mean... well... _our _mom wasn't! R-right, Gourry?" She slapped her companion on the back.

"Y-yeah. Right!" Gourry said, knowing to agree with whatever Lina was saying.

"I guess it depends on the person." Ktenoura corrected.

"Anyway, speaking of which, I was wondering something." Lina continued.

"What's that?" Triarthrus asked.

"Well, what exactly do you guys have against girls? I mean, you don't let them join your research group."

Triarthrus laughed. "We haven't got anything _against _them! I've got a wife and a daughter, and I love 'em both! But that's why they don't come along with us- it's too dangerous for them. After all, they can't defend themselves as well, so we've got to make sure they're not in any danger."

"Huh, so you're trying to protect them, because you don't think they're strong enough to defend themselves?" Lina asked.

"Yeah, that's the basic idea." Ktenoura replied. "I don't want anything to happen to my little sister."

"Do they live nearby?" Gourry asked.

"Yeah, actually rather near where we're camped right now. It's on the way to the site we're travelling to, so we were going to stop by our house tomorrow for some supplies. You can meet everyone- I'm sure they'll be thrilled!" Triarthrus said.

"How fun..." Lina murmured.

* * *

(Fun, indeed! Haha, things seem to be progressing- at least as far as Filia, Xellos, and Lorelei's scenario is concerned. Valgaav has already shown up! *gasp* Hooray for excitement! ^.^)


	18. 18: Disguises and Other Plans

(Hi again! This is totally pointless to say, but I'm updating on Mondays now instead of Tuesdays due to my crazy extracurricular activity schedule... not that it really matters... ANYWAY, do enjoy the next chapter! And, as always, I don't own. Anything. Meh...)

* * *

**18- Disguises and Other Plans**

"Is it just me, or is it getting sort of late?" Acer asked.

"It's not late!" Ktenoura exclaimed.

"Well, you're a lot younger than we are, kid. You can stay up later than we can." Betula commented. "But you need sleep just the same."

"I think we're all getting tired." Triarthrus nodded. "It may be time to head to sleep for the night." He turned to Lina and Gourry. "You guys have a tent? I heard that it might rain tonight, so we don't want to get wet."

"Yeah, we've got one." Lina replied. "Ugh, I hate rain."

"Hey, rain's good for the soil." Raphus commented.

"It really is... unless you have too much, which can lead to erosion in non-vegetated areas. That's why trees are so important to preserving the soil." Zara agreed. The entire group turned to stare at him.

"Yeah, that's right!" Ktenoura agreed.

"Gourry, Lian, your boy's a natural! You guys should have come with us earlier!" Triarthrus exclaimed.

"Th-thanks..." Lina murmured. "Well, if it's going to rain, I think I'd like to get some shelter, so..."

"We'll set up our tent, then we can get some sleep. We've got a long day tomorrow, apparently." Gourry said.

"What fun." Lina sighed.

* * *

"Gourry, can I please blow these guys up, tell them I'm a girl, and then demand that they give us information on this relic. _Please_?" Lina requested eagerly.

"Normally, I'd let you. But I really don't think that now is a good time-"

"For what?" Lina demanded. She was fed up with pretending to be a boy, and hadn't even been doing it very long.

"Well, if you make a big scene of it, it could attract unwanted attention from... those monsters... and you could get hurt. I wouldn't want that happening."

Lina sighed sadly. She collapsed dramatically onto the sleeping bags that they had laid out over the floor of the tent, using her swordsman companion as a pillow.

"Ow!" Gourry murmured as Lina fell on top of him. "Hey, I'm just being careful."

"And they said that _I _was paranoid." Lina groaned. "You're way worse than I am."

"About you, yes." Gourry admitted. "And you're way worse than I am about Zara."

"What?" Lina demanded. "What is that supposed to mean?" She threw a glance at the little boy who had already fallen asleep in one corner of the tent, completely oblivious to his parents' argument. "I am not."

"You are and you know it." Gourry replied. "But it's not a bad thing. I mean, it just shows that you care about him... as much as I care about you..."

"I care about you too." Lina defended.

"I know that. That wasn't my point. I was just saying that when you care about someone, you don't want them getting hurt. That's why I don't want you causing a scene." Gourry stated.

"Wow... you're an idiot..." Lina began. "You care about me so much that you'd let me suffer through humiliation and boredom just so that I'd have a couple less monsters to fight."

"That's right." Gourry laughed. "It's not that bad."

"It is."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not!"

"Idiot!" Lina gave him a good whack over the head. "You know how it feels. You should be sympathetic... or did you actually enjoy getting dressed up as a girl?"

"I did not." Gourry stated. "But didn't you always tell me that I looked good as a girl?" He grinned, pulling her into a tight hug. "You look really cute when you're dressed up like a boy. I'm surprised that none of them noticed."

"Because they aren't idiots like you." Lina replied, laughing. She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed. "Geez... those guys had better not just randomly barge into our tent... or I swear..."

"They won't. I promise. I already asked." Gourry said.

"You asked them? Gosh, way to be secretive, jellyfish-brains. Now they're probably suspicious." Lina groaned.

"They're not. I can tell. They're nice guys."

Lina sighed. "Nice, maybe... but did you hear how they talked about protecting girls? As if we can't take care of ourselves..."

"You can take care of yourself just fine. But I still like to protect you anyway." Gourry commented.

"Thanks..." Lina murmured. "I'm so tired... I don't even want to think about tomorrow..."

"Then just go to sleep." Gourry replied. He stroked her hair affectionately. "Good night, my adorable little brother."

"Good night, idiot."

* * *

"DIL BRAND!" Zelgadis yelled.

Amelia quickly joined him. "ELMIKIA LANCE!"

There was a large explosion and several demons were pushed away by the force of the attack. However, there were several more to fill their place.

"There's too many of them!" Amelia gasped.

"Of course! They work as a group!" Zelgadis said. He drew his sword quickly. "I guess we've got no choice but to use our more powerful spells! ASTRAL VINE!"

A blast of red energy shot up around the chimera's sword, burning threateningly toward the demons. The wolf-like creatures were not discouraged, as they charged forward. Zelgadis slashed forward with his sword in an attempt to drive them away. It worked well too... at least for the ones directly in front of him. Unfortunately, they surrounded him from all sides, lunging at him with their sharp teeth bared viciously.

"BURST FLARE!" Amelia created a large attack and shot it at the demons that were going against Zelgadis. It drove them away for a short moment, just long enough for the chimera to get out of harm's way.

"Are you alright?" Amelia gasped, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him behind a large boulder to keep them out of sight for the moment.

"I'm fine... but these demons are pretty vicious- they won't stop until they've succeeded with their goal..." Zelgadis said. "To get rid of me..."

"How terrible! In the name of Justice, I will not allow this to happen!" Amelia exclaimed with a flourish. She jumped up on top of the boulder, pointing toward the demons. "You terrible creatures! You attack one that you think is of your own kind! You are being cruel and unfeeling to those you should be supportive towards! You shall never accomplish anything in this manner! You must be truthful toward your own kind and accepting of others! Only with the power of Justice on your side will you achieve these things! Stop your evil ways now and-"

Zelgadis grabbed Amelia and pulled her off the rock, just in time to keep her from being pounced on by the demons. "Amelia!" he yelled. "They're not monsters! Yelling things about Justice is not going to work on them!"

"But Zelgadis! No one is immune to the powers of Justice!" Amelia replied.

"While that may be true, you're only making them more angry." Zelgadis reasoned. "We have no choice but to stand against them."

"Right! We shall defeat them using the power of the Justice of True Love!" Amelia exclaimed.

Zelgadis shook his head. "Where does that girl come up with this stuff...?"

"Now you villains, prepare to taste the power of Justice!" Amelia yelled, sending another large attack toward the demons. It wasn't quite enough, however, and several more demons just took their place.

"Darn it! Why won't you all just leave us alone?" Zelgadis yelled, striking at the demons with his sword. Several surrounded him and pounced on him, viciously trying to bring the chimera down. It was one of those rare moments when he reflected on what an advantage he'd had when he was part golem. This was wistful thinking now, as the demons were upon him now, trying their best to bring down the chimera.

"You let him go!" Amelia yelled, attempting to drive them away. Her efforts were to no avail, as the demons now took her on as their target as well.

"Amelia, don't!" Zelgadis yelled weakly, watching the creatures attacking the girl he loved. But it was too late to change the demons' minds, as they sought to bring down both the humans that had wandered onto their territory. Amelia swung wildly with her hands, fighting for consciousness. Suddenly the demons seemed to stop attacking. Slowly, one by one, they began to retreat, leaving the cave as hurriedly as they had come. Amelia was unconscious by this point, but Zelgadis thought that he almost caught a glimpse of a large, stone figure looming over them before his own consciousness slipped away as well...

* * *

"I suppose we should take a rest now... my feet are getting tired..." Filia sighed, finally pulling her hand away from Xellos'.

"Yes, mine too." he agreed. "Pity, we could have gone on like that forever."

"Indeed." Filia nodded. "I haven't had this much fun in... ages..."

Xellos smiled. "Glad I could make you happy, Miss Filia. A beautiful person such as yourself deserves to smile often. It's quite becoming to you." He didn't mention the fact that he also enjoyed her anger too... he just grinned in her direction.

Filia blushed, examining the boy closer. She wondered what had ignited such a change- he was hardly the awkward young boy that she was used to. Here he was dancing and saying intelligent things... heck, he was actually _hitting on her_! Where'd that courage come from?

The two sat down on a bench next to a lavishly decorated table. "Enrico..." Filia began.

"Yes?" Xellos replied.

"You're... you're different." she finally said.

Xellos gave her a puzzled look. "Different? What do you mean by that?"

"Well... you..." Filia wasn't sure how to phrase it. "You seem more... outgoing. More... on top of everything, so to speak. It almost seems like you've matured a lot."

Xellos shrugged. "Well, now that we're away from Miss Lina and Zel who always went out of their way to tease and belittle me, it would make sense that I'd get some confidence back. I guess you could say that now you're seeing my true colours."

Filia nodded, beginning to understand. The poor boy couldn't be himself when he was around people who would make fun of him. She really rather liked Enrico's true nature... she wasn't sure why, but his personality was just so... likable. His humorous attitude, that playful smile, the suave attitude with which he seemed to handle every situation, and the way his purple eyes sparkled when he was talking about something that interested him.

...Why did those eyes make her heart race?

"Miss Filia?" Xellos ventured again. "Am I to assume that you don't particularly like the real me?"

Filia snapped to attention. "N-no! Actually... I... I like it a lot..." she blushed, smiling at him. "You're a very fun person, Enrico. I... I like this side of you better, actually."

Xellos' face lit up. "Do you, now? What exactly is it about me that you find so amiable?"

Filia reviewed her previous thoughts. "Well, you're a really funny person... making jokes and whatnot... it takes an interesting person to find humour in any situation... and your attitude toward things is so... so... sophisticated... it makes you seem much older than you really are... you've got that really nice, playful smile... and those eyes..." Filia started to realise she was probably saying too much and stopped. "Sorry... I just..."

"You're fine, Miss Filia." Xellos assured her. _So... _he thought to himself. _Filia's falling for the little kid now, is she? How very amusing._

"Mister Enrico..." Filia began.

"Miss Filia, you can drop the formalities. After all, you make it sound like I'm somehow superior to you. I don't like that very much. You can just call me Enrico, alright?" Xellos said.

Filia blushed. "Oh... okay... and you really don't have to call me 'Miss.' Just Filia is fine."

Xellos nodded. "Alright then. And, you were saying..."

"Oh, um, shouldn't we be working to find the relic that we came to get?" Filia stammered.

"The wha- OH!" Xellos mentally slapped himself. How could he have been so careless as to forget something like that? After all, that's what they came to this party for! "S-sorry! Let's get moving! You see that little sculpture of a lotus on that table over there?"

Filia took a look at it. "Ah yes... the white jade?" she replied.

"That's the one. It's that little thing that we're trying to get." Xellos replied.

"Oh... okay..." Filia murmured. "But... how are we going to get out with it? Wouldn't we be a little... I don't know... _conspicuous_?"

"True... very true..." Xellos agreed. The two walked over to the table where the relic lay, displayed beautifully on the table.

"How do we get it out of here without people noticing?" Filia asked. She'd never really plotted to steal something before, so it wasn't her area of expertise. Xellos, on the other hand, knew exactly what to do.

"Well, we have to make sure that everyone is properly distracted." he stated. "Not just distracted by their own things, but all paying attention to something at once."

"But how do we capture all their attentions at once?" Filia asked.

"We don't." Xellos replied, a cryptic smile on his face. "We wait for a distraction to present itself."

"A distraction to present itself?" Filia questioned. "How long will that take?"

"Not long, if my hunch is right." Xellos replied. "After all, that beautiful cake over there probably won't last much longer. And then, when everyone is focused on eating cake..."

"Oh! I've got it! So we'll sneak out with the relic while everyone is paying attention to the wedding cake!" Filia exclaimed quietly.

"Bingo. We've just got to wait for that." Xellos nodded.

"Say... do you know where Lorelei went?" Filia asked. "I haven't seen her for a while."

"She probably left to get away from all the positive emotions. Those can be very sickening to monsters, especially in this volume." Xellos explained.

"You... know a lot about monsters, don't you Enrico?" Filia asked. "How do you know so much?"

Xellos' mind raced to construct an excuse that would be truthful. He was not going to lie to Filia. "I have... many associates who are monsters... I interact with them on a regular basis..." he said, which was very true. "And I also have many enemies who are monsters as well..."

"Oh... alright..." Filia said, deciding that there would be time to inquire about this later. Their first priority had to be getting this relic out of here, finding Lorelei, and then leaving as quickly as possible.

Hopefully Elmyria or Valgaav wouldn't cause any trouble...

* * *

Lina woke up to the sound of thunder and pouring rain. _Wonderful... _she thought sarcastically. _Just what I need. Lovely weather..._

Gourry was still fast asleep, and Lina sat up slightly, trying to smooth out the place on his shirt where it was obvious that she'd used him as a pillow for most of the night. She glanced over to the corner where Zara had been sleeping, but the little boy was absent. Lina sighed. _So Zara's gone off somewhere too... _She turned back to Gourry, whacking him over the head. "Hey! Wake up, idiot!"

"Hmmm...? Lina...?" Gourry murmured, just beginning to wake up. He sat up, studying his surroundings. "Oh, it's raining..." he commented, hearing the sound of the rain against the tent. "Good morning, Lina." he continued, giving her a tight hug.

"So you finally woke up, huh? Took you long enough." Lina sighed.

"How are you feeling this morning? Better?" Gourry questioned.

"Nope. Worse. Stupid rain... I have to dress like a boy AND it rains! Gosh, it feels like everyone is out to get me!" Lina complained.

"I'm not out to get you." Gourry offered comfortingly.

"That's a matter of opinion." Lina said, pointing out the fact that he still had his arms around her. "Anyway, get off me." she continued, giving him a whack over the head. "We've got things to do. Where is Zara?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Gourry shrugged.

As if to answer them, they heard Zara's voice outside yelling at them. "Gourry! Lian! You guys awake?"

"Zara, where'd you go?" Lina yelled back.

The little boy poked his head into the tent, giving his parent a bright smile. "Good morning, Lina. Good morning, Gourry." he whispered.

"G'morning, Zara." Lina replied. "What are you doing outside? You're soaking wet."

"I'm helping cook breakfast!" Zara replied brightly.

"So they managed to make a fire in this weather?" Lina asked.

"They're trying." Zara responded. "Which is funny, because you'd think that geologists would understand that the damp atmospheric conditions are not conducive to producing the kind of combustion needed to create a flame. But it's fun watching them try!"

"Men are idiots..." Lina sighed.

"Too many... big words... so early in the morning..." Gourry complained, clutching his head painfully.

"Case in point." Lina murmured.

Another crack of thunder sounded in the distance, and Zara scrambled the rest of the way into the tent, grabbing onto Lina. She put her arm around him in a comforting gesture until the sound faded. Zara realised that his wet clothing was getting Lina wet as well. "Oh, I'm sorry!" he apologised.

"You're fine." Lina replied. "I'm going to get wet if I go outside anyway, right?"

"Right..." Zara sighed. "I'm going back now..."

"Hang on, I'm right behind you." Lina called, pulling her hair back and tying it. She slapped her hat back on and followed the child out into the rain.

"Hey, wait for me!" Gourry called.

* * *

(A/N: No real comments today, because I feel lazy... T.T)


	19. 19: A Daring Rescue! or two

(Hi again! It's GP3 with chapter 19! Ooh, a long chapter this time! I guess I'm trying to get the group back together again as fast as possible... *laugh* I actually didn't think I'd get a chapter ready by today, but I did! Hah~! Do enjoy! I don't own any of the characters, I'm just borrowing them for a while. Good thing too, because they can be difficult sometimes...)

* * *

**19- A Daring Rescue! (or two) **

They never did make a fire

Lina complained about the lack of warm food, but she decided to eventually forget about it. After all, food was food, right?

The group travelled on foot for a good part of the morning. The rain slowed slightly, much to Lina's relief. Triarthrus led them to a small house that was perched in the foothills of the mountains that they were travelling to. A tall woman came outside to welcome them.

"Art! Ktenoura! What are you two fools doing out in this weather? It's cold and wet!" she scolded.

"Elrathia! What happened to 'welcome home?" Triarthrus complained good-naturedly, giving the woman a hug. She shrugged it off, but the smile on her face was hard to miss.

"You're not out there killing yourself and my son, are you?" she asked.

"Mom, we're fine!" Ktenoura protested. Elrathia laughed.

"I know you are, Ktenoura. I know you are." Her eyes scanned the group for a moment, obviously familiar with most of the faces. She stopped momentarily, her gaze now resting on Lina, Gourry, and Zara. "Well now, we have some new friends, I see."

"Oh yes!" Triarthrus exclaimed. "They're a pair of brothers who are joining us for a little while to learn more about the area- the tall one is Gourry, and the short one is Lian. And the little kid is their nephew, Zara. He may be small, but the kid's a natural geologist!"

"Nice to meet you two." the woman extended her hand to give them a handshake, which they both accepted. "Now... perhaps we'd like to get out of this rain?"

"That would be awfully nice." Lina agreed.

"Say, where's Onnia?" Ktenoura asked.

"Your sister? She said that she was going out to the lake for a while. She hasn't gotten back yet." Elrathia answered.

"The lake, huh?" Triarthrus asked. "That might be kind of dangerous, since there are a lot of steep hills around there... the danger of mudslides is too great."

"You mean your daughter might be in trouble?" Gourry gasped.

"Onnia? Oh dear!" Elrathia gasped. "We should go find her-"

"You stay here, Ellie. I'll go find her and bring her home." Triarthrus assured his wife. "Gourry, Lian, you guys want to come?"

"Totally!" Gourry replied.

"We're right behind you." Lina assured him. She turned around, placing her hand on the little boy's shoulder. "Zara, stay here with the others. Ktenoura, can you keep an eye on him?"

"Uh, sure thing, Mister Lian." Ktenoura replied curiously. _Gee, there's an uncle who really cares about his nephew. He's acting just like a mother..._the boy thought, puzzled.

Lina followed quickly behind Triarthrus. "Come on, Gourry." she called. The rain began to intensify just a bit, and thunder rumbled again somewhere in the distance. "Let's go find this girl and get her safe as soon as possible!"

"Right!" Gourry agreed.

* * *

"Onnia? Onnia, dear, where are you?" Triarthrus called. Lina and Gourry were following him.

"She should be around here somewhere..." Lina murmured.

"I don't see anyone anywhere." Gourry replied.

"Should we split up and look for her?" Triarthrus asked.

"That might be a good idea. What does she look like?" Lina asked.

"Well, she's about 15 years old... she's got long brown hair, though she tends to keep it tied back..." Triarthrus explained. "She'll probably be the only person around, so it'll be hard to miss her."

"Right! I'll look this way." Lina said, heading off in her own direction.

"H-hey! Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" Gourry asked.

Lina sighed. "I'll be fine, Gourry. Geez, don't worry so much."

"R-right. Just be careful." Gourry replied.

Lina nodded and continued on her way. Triarthrus turned to Gourry. "You care quite much about your little brother, don't you? You seem to be a bit overprotective of him."

"Of course. He's the most important person in the world to me." Gourry said.

"Is that so?" Triarthrus murmured. "I have a brother... though _MY_ brother I hate with a passion. It's odd to find siblings so incredibly attached as you seem to be."

"Really? Is it that odd?" Gourry asked, trying to think of some way to change the subject. "Er, well, we should really be trying to find your daughter. I know that if Zara ever got lost, I'd want to find him right away."

"You seem to treat the boy like a father, don't you, Gourry?" Triarthrus questioned.

Darn it! His attempt to change the subject had backfired. "Um, well... yeah... he's just so cute, you really can't help it!"

"That's true." Triarthrus nodded, seeming to buy Gourry's excuse- for the moment anyway.

"Now let's find Onnia and get out of this rain!" Gourry exclaimed, running off in another direction to avoid any more questions. He was afraid that he'd given too much information out already...

* * *

Zelgadis could hear his surroundings even before he opened his eyes to see them. His sharp hearing picked up the sound of a fire in a fireplace... but how was that possible? The last thing he remembered, he and Amelia had been attacked by that group of demons... and...

Amelia!

He sat up quickly, suddenly alert. He took in his surroundings for a moment, suddenly frantic. He was in some sort of house- a nicely furnished living room. There was a small table, a chair- which he was in now, with a blanket thrown over him- a desk, a burning fireplace, and a couch. But he didn't care so much about the couch as he did the girl who was lying unconscious on top of it. "Amelia!" Zel gasped, jumping up and moving toward the couch. He didn't get very far, as he suddenly became dizzy and practically fell to his knees next to the girl. He didn't really care at the moment as he stretched out his hand to place it on Amelia's arm. He had to make sure that she was alright.

Amelia didn't stir, but her slow, even breathing made it very apparent that she was only sleeping. Zelgadis sighed in relief and sat down beside the couch, keeping a hand on her arm. At least she was alright. That was what mattered. Now he could get to the problem at hand- where on earth were they? How had they even gotten here? It was obvious that they were in someone's house... but whose? Was it someone who had rescued them?

"Oh... you're awake..." a voice spoke up from the next room. It sounded like a female and was obviously rather young.

"Y-yeah..." Zelgadis called. "Or, at least, I am. Who are you? Did you rescue us?"

"My name is Shira." the young woman replied. "Yes, I rescued you. I'm not planning to harm you in any way, so please don't be afraid. I don't get travellers here that often." Shira made her way into the living room where Zelgadis and Amelia were sitting.

_Shira? _Zelgadis' mind raced. Wasn't that the name of the girl who made golems? The one who left the village to live in the mountains? The one who was supposed to be dead?

Obviously the rumours of her death were greatly exaggerated.

"You're Shira? I've heard about you. But the people in the village think you're dead!" Zelgadis exclaimed.

"Really? They do? That's odd. I suppose it's because I never visit anymore... pity that they would become so closed-minded to think that..." Shira sighed. "And any visitors I might get never stay very long... though I don't mind that much. It's rather obvious why..."

"Huh? Why-" Zelgadis began, turning around to look at the young woman. But when he did get a good look at her, he gasped and practically fell over in surprise. Most of her appearance was completely normal- the man from the town had been right, she was an attractive young woman. She had long, flowing brown hair that fell out of the shawl wrapped around her head, and her warm, brown eyes showed warmth and friendship. But the most surprising thing was her face- or her skin, rather.

Her rough skin was coloured a deep tan, with a few scattered dark stones across its surface- a texture all too familiar to Zelgadis.

"Y-you're..." he gasped in surprise. "Y-you're a chimera!"

* * *

The clinking of metal was almost deafening as Lorelei's staff met with Valgaav's sword. The young monster fought as hard as she could, but she had a strategic disadvantage, being as small as she was. After all, physically she was only a little girl fighting a strong young man. No matter how long the two fought, she couldn't keep it up forever.

_This isn't working._ she thought to herself. _There's got to be some other way to fight him. Maybe if I use some of my magical spells, then I'll be able to counteract some of his attacks. But he's so fast, I don't know if I'll be able to hit him. Oh, Xellos I could really use your help right now!_

"Getting tired yet, little girl?" Valgaav taunted.

"Not in the least!" Lorelei yelled back. "I've got enough strength to stand up to you, no matter how strong you think you!"

"I'll let you keep thinking that." he replied coolly, going in for another attack. Lorelei nimbly managed to dodge and shot a beam of shadow energy at the monster. Valgaav had expected this, and managed to dodge easily as well. Lorelei clenched her teeth. Valgaav was certainly proving to be a tough opponent.

"I'd tell you to run home and cried to Xellos, but I'm afraid he's not around anymore to cry to." Valgaav teased, hoping that he could throw Lorelei of her game. She might not have been as much of a threat to him as he expected, but she was still a pest, and he wanted her out of the way.

"Aww, I'm sorry if I'm being a bother to you. Maybe I really ought to think about going home and crying... or then again, maybe not!"

Lorelei had plenty of tricks of her sleeve, and created a massive explosion which came as an unexpected surprise to Valgaav. He was thrown backwards coughing and spluttering.

"Heh, maybe you're not as bad as I thought." he congratulated.

"Same to you." Lorelei said. "Only a tad bit more annoying."

"So you think you're funny now, do you? I can take that right out of you!"  
Valgaav lunged at Lorelei again, but this time his sword made contact. Lorelei tried to block it, but her opponent was too fast, and he struck a hard blow to her stomach. She fell to the ground, and getting up wasn't as easy.

"Had enough yet?" he asked.

"I'm... just getting started..." she bluffed.

"Don't lie, now." Valgaav chided. "That's not a very nice thing to do."

"Well, monsters aren't very nice people in general." Lorelei explained.

Valgaav laughed. "You make a very good point, little monster- and you've got determination. It's a shame I'm going to have to kill you now..."

Lorelei's mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do, but all of a sudden Valgaav turned around, his attention suddenly fixed on something else.

"You've gotten lucky, little girl." he said. "Unfortunately, my target is getting away, and that's my main goal right now. I don't have time to deal with you."

_Oh no!_ thought Lorelei. _Filia and Xellos must have gotten the relic already!_ _Now Valgaav's going after them instead! I've got to distract him!_

She jumped up. "Oh, don't think I'm done with you yet!" she yelled.

"Really? What a pain..." Valgaav sighed. "This has gotten boring and pointless. I have a job to do." And with that he phased away leaving Lorelei standing alone

* * *

Shira seemed surprised by Zelgadis' statement. "You're right. I am. That's awfully perceptive of you. Most people I meet take me for some sort of monster. They're not used to seeing a person who looks like me, you know."

Oh, Zelgadis knew all right.

"Y-yeah... I... I'm pretty familiar with chimeras..." he began.

"I'd expect so. After all that must be the reason that those demons attacked you before. You're not entirely human either." Shira moved closer, studying him closely. "Is that... brau demon? Just a little bit?"

"You're perceptive." Zelgadis replied. "That's right. Most people can't even tell that I'm one-fourth demon- since I don't look it."

Shira nodded. "No, you don't. Unlike a golem chimera, who is rather blatantly obvious."

"Don't I know it..." Zelgadis sighed.

"Do you, now?" Shira asked, a curious expression on her stone face.

"Er, well, yes..." Zelgadis murmured. "I actually... used to be part golem along with the demon portion."

"Really?" Shira asked. "A three-part chimera, huh? That's some serious stuff. It takes powerful magic to create something like that- you must be quite the sorcerer."

"I do have some magical skills, but..." Zelgadis stopped, pondering over Shira's last sentence. "W-wait! You think that _I _was the one who did this to myself?"

"You weren't?" Shira asked, looking puzzled.

"Heck no! I spent the better part of my life searching for a cure to rid myself of that awful curse-" he stopped suddenly, realising that Shira probably didn't feel the same way. "...oh, sorry... I didn't mean to make it sound so... I just..."

Shira shook her head. "No... now that I think about it, I can see the drawbacks to it. And if you were turned into a chimera against your will... then it's conceivable that you must have been quite unhappy."

"I was." Zelgadis nodded. "But there are also a lot of benefits to it as well. I can see why you'd like it- especially living alone in this environment. Humans are just not as equipped to deal with some things- like those demons that we fought..."

"That's very true as well." Shira said. "I guess there are two sides to every story. You must be tired and hungry- do you want something to eat?"

"No thanks. I think I'm going to wait till Amelia wakes up." Zelgadis replied.

Shira looked at the two for a moment. "Then she is... your lover?" she asked.

"Of course she is." Zelgadis replied. "We're married."

"Shira thought for a moment. "But those are not always one in the same." she responded.

"I suppose that's all too true..." Zelgadis murmured.

"Well I was cooking dinner anyway, so if you want any just let me know." Shira said, heading back out of the room.

"Thanks, I will. That's awfully nice of you." Zelgadis replied

* * *

"Great... the rain's getting harder... why did I even volunteer to look for this girl... I guess I was feeling heroic..." Lina muttered to herself, trying her hardest to locate Triarthrus' daughter. "What was her name again? Onnia? Onnia! Where are you, kid?" Lina called and called, but got no answer.

She studied her surroundings for a moment. She was standing on a piece of grassy land, sandwiched between the large lake and a rocky cliff. Not exactly the best place to be if the rain caused a mudslide. Lina cringed at the thought, and hurried on.

"Onnia! Onnia?" she kept calling.

"Wh-who's there? Who are you?" a small voice responded. Lina turned to see a girl, about 15 or 16 years old, huddled underneath a rocky outcropping for shelter.

"Oh hey, don't look so scared. My name's Lian, and I'm a friend of your dad- Triarthrus." Lina told her.

"You know my dad?" the girl asked sceptically.

"I know you're probably not inclined to believe me right now, but I promise, I'm not some sort of kidnapper or anything. Your mom is worried sick about you." Lina continued.

"I... I..." Onnia stammered. "I suppose... you look like a trustworthy man... but..."

Suddenly, the rain began to pour harder. "That's right!" Lina yelled. "I'm a trustworthy man who also hates the rain! So are we going to get out of here or what?"

"Well..." Onnia began. Suddenly, the two of them heard a loud crack behind them. Onnia turned around quickly, and Lina gasped. "I-it's a mudslide!" the girl exclaimed.

Lina began to run in the other direction. "Come on! Let's get out of here! Hurry!" She ran for a few metres, until she realised that Onnia was not following her.

And the mudslide was approaching far too quickly.

"Onnia! What are you doing?" Lina gasped.

"M-my shoe! It's stuck!" the girl stammered, trying her hardest to pull her foot out of a rocky crevice. She screamed as the mudslide began to fall around her. "Mister Lian! Keep going! You'll get hurt too!"

"Geez!" Lina growled. "Come here!"

She ran, to where Onnia stood, quickly grabbing the girl and yanking her forcefully out of the crevice, leaving her shoe behind. "RAY WING!" Lina called, jumping into the air, the mudslide splashing around her feet. She held Onnia tightly, with the girl's arms around her neck. "Hold on tight. Let's find your dad." Lina instructed.

"O-okay..." Onnia murmured, looking up at her rescuer admiringly, a faint blush colouring her cheeks.

* * *

"Where is Lorelei? She should be here!" Filia exclaimed.

"Now, now..." Xellos said. "She's probably just around here somewhere. We'll find her... Though I had hoped that she might conveniently just show up as we left... but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case..."

"Should we look for her?" Filia asked.

"That's probably not a good idea. It's not going to take those people long to figure out this thing is missing." Xellos said waving around the relic that he had in his hands. "Once they find that out, we do _not_ want to be anywhere near here. Got it? Lorelei's an intelligent little monster. I'm sure she'll be able to figure out where we are." He took the carved figure and put it into his backpack for safekeeping. "With it hidden here, hopefully it won't be noticeable..."

"I hope so..." Filia sighed.

"You hope what? Not that you're going to be able to keep that relic, I suppose? Because if you do, you're horribly mistaken."

Filia and Xellos suddenly turned around. The voice was dreadfully familiar.

"Valgaav!" Xellos growled.

"V-Valgaav..." Filia gasped. She was seeing the monster again for the third time since he had been revived, and it was still a shock to her. It gave her a terrible feeling...

"What do you want?" Xellos demanded. "Oh wait, the relic. Why did I even ask? I don't know. My mind isn't working tonight. Have you ever experienced that sort of thing before? I know I hadn't until just recent-"

" STOP PRATTLING, YOU NOISY HUMAN! I DON'T HAVE TIME TO LISTEN TO YOUR CHATTER!" Valgaav yelled.

"Oh, pardon me if I was annoying you. Maybe I should stop. Do you think?" Xellos grinned.

"Where did you hide that relic?" Valgaav asked, a deadly serious expression on his face.

"What? The relic? You don't know where it is? In that case, it's a secret." Xellos said, grinning.

Valgaav and Filia both glanced at the boy for a moment, both of them thinking the same thing. "...it seems that you've been taking lessons from a certain monster... or at least you had... before Elmyria..." Valgaav didn't finish his sentence, watching for Filia's reaction as she finished the sentence in her head.

Filia clenched her teeth, trying to remember what Enrico had told her. _Xellos isn't dead. _she told herself. _He just wants Valgaav to think so. He's not dead. He can't be. Come on, Filia, get it together, would you? _

"Anyway, I don't have time for this." Valgaav said, grabbing Xellos' backpack by the strap and pulling it violently from the boy, pushing him to the ground.

"H-hey! Who do you think you are? Some bully on the playground trying to steal my lunch money?" Xellos yelled, getting up and brushing the dirt off his clothes.

"Haha, very funny." Valgaav said, with a very un-amused expression. "This is all I want." He pulled the jade carving out of the bag, tossing the empty backpack back toward Xellos.

"H-how did you know it was in there?" Xellos gasped.

"Heh, you're not a very easy human to read, little boy, but I managed to figure it out. You know what else I know? That you're the one who messed with those crickets and fish at that party. Don't have much of a guilty conscience about it, do you?" Valgaav laughed. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Th-that was YOU?" Filia gasped, grabbing Xellos by the collar of his shirt. "Enrico, how could you?"

"F-Filia, I believe that-"

"You always seemed so nice! Why on earth would you _do_ something so naughty?"

"Filia, Valgaav is-"

"I mean, I know that Lorelei might be having some sort of influence on you, but that's no excuse to-"

"FILIA, VALGAAV IS GETTING AWAY!" Xellos finally managed to exclaim, fairly irked with Filia's scolding.

"Huh? Wha?" Filia dropped Xellos and turned around. "Oh no! Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Believe me, I was trying!" Xellos exclaimed.

Filia began to panic. "So what do we-"

"We follow him, of course! Get back here, you!"

Filia and Xellos both turned around, surprised. "Lorelei!" they both gasped.

* * *

Triarthrus and Gourry heard the sounds of the mudslide at the same time. They both ran to the shore of the lake, suddenly meeting each other.

"Hey again!" Triarthrus greeted the swordsman. "Did you hear that?"

"The mudslide?" Gourry asked. Suddenly, the two men heard a young girl's scream.

"Th-that sounded-" Triarthrus gasped. "L-like Onnia! ONNIA!"

"What do we do? What about Lian?" Gourry asked, beginning to panic. "Do you think Lian could have been near the mudslide too?"

"N-now, now, there's no need to panic." Triarthrus began. "We just have to stay calm and focus. We've got to get over to where the mudslide was so that we can find them!"

"But what if something happened to them?" Gourry asked. "Oh, this isn't good! I'm supposed to protect Lian!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure your brother's fine!" Triarthrus assured him. "He seems like the kind of kid that can take care of himself."

"Darn right I can take care of myself. And other people too."

Gourry and Triarthrus both looked up to see Lina flying down towards them, carrying Onnia as well. "Onnia! Lian! Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" Triarthrus sighed.

"Daddy~!" Onnia called, jumping to hug her father. "Yes, yes! I'm fine! Thanks to Mister Lian!"

"Oh really?" Triarthrus asked.

"Yes! There was that huge mudslide that just suddenly appeared, and my shoe was stuck, and I was so scared! I knew I couldn't get out and I told him to run and save himself, but he jumped in and saved me at the last minute! It was so heroic!" Onnia exclaimed.

"So, you're a hero now, huh?" Gourry laughed, putting a hand on Lina's shoulder. "But we were worried about you. Really worried."

"Well, don't worry so much. You know I'm fine by myself." Lina shrugged.

"Of course, of course." Gourry sighed.

"M-Mister Lian?" Onnia began, turning back to Lina.

"What's up?" Lina asked.

"Well... um... thank you..." Onnia began, looking slightly flustered. "I... I'm so sorry that I didn't trust you at first... but I... I'm in your debt... after all, you saved me..."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I would have done it for anybody." Lina replied.

"Yeah... but you did it for me..." Onnia continued. "Oh, Mister Lian! I must find some way to express my eternal gratitude to you!"

"Uh... eternal... gratitude...?" Lina stammered. She wasn't sure she liked the sound of that.

"Why don't we get out of this rain, and then we'll talk things over." Triarthrus interrupted.

"That sounds good..." Lina sighed.

* * *

(A/N: *sigh* Three stories at once is difficult! I can't wait until they get back together! But until then, they will keep working on… whatever they're working on… heheh~)


	20. 20: Memories and Plans for the Future

(Happy Monday everyone~! Haha... anyway, here is chapter 20. I guess it's pretty obvious by now that this one is going to be quite a bit longer than my previous stories... I hope you're still enjoying it! I know I am... but I'm not sure I can take much more of this triple-scenario thing... Anyway, I don't own the characters, I'm just playing with them for a while- just for fun!)

* * *

**20- Memories of the Past, Plans for the Future**

"For the last time, no, Onnia!" Triarthrus defended. "You cannot come with us! You're not allowed too!"

"But father~!" Onnia whined. "I have to come! I need to express my eternal gratitude to Mister Lian! Please!"

"No means no, Onnia." Triarthrus said. "I'm sorry, but rules are rules. You're a girl. You can't come with us."

Lina flushed slightly, and made sure not to make any kind of eye contact with any of the group members.

"But father!" Onnia whined again. She suddenly ran up to Lina, grabbing her hands. "Mister Lian would allow me to come! Wouldn't you, Mister Lian?"

Lina was shocked at the moment, and didn't exactly want to say anything. "Um... er... well... I, uh, actually think your dad is right... you should really stay here..." Lina saw Onnia's face suddenly fall. "S-sorry..." she added.

"B-but Mister Lian... I'm just so grateful to you..." Onnia continued, her eyes tearing up.

"It's like your dad said- it's too dangerous. Sorry about that, but it's the truth." Lina apologised.

"We'll come back and tell you all about it." Ktenoura assured his sister.

"Alright..." Onnia sighed sadly.

"And with that settled, we've got a lot of ground to cover, men! Let's head out! I want to be at our next camp by nightfall!" Triarthrus called. The group followed after him, bidding farewell to the family.

"I kind of felt bad for that girl, but I'm glad that she's out of our hair now. She was getting a bit too attached to me, I think." Lina murmured.

"Well, didn't I tell you that you make a cute boy?" Gourry replied, laughing. "I don't blame her."

Lina whacked Gourry on the back of the head. "You're not supposed to say that you don't blame her! You're supposed to get all possessive of me, and decide that it's a bad idea for me to stay disguised!"

"What? I was just saying how I felt. I don't feel threatened by her or anything." he gave Lina a questioning look. "...Should I?"

"No~!" Lina whacked Gourry on the head again. "Don't be stupid."

"Sorry, I can't really help it." Gourry sighed.

"Hey! Gourry! Lian! Pick up the pace!" Jobaria called from the front of the group.

"We're coming! We're coming!" Lina called back. "Geez, stop being so impatient!"

* * *

Shira left the room. Zelgadis then turned his attention back to the girl sleeping on the couch. He wondered how long it would be until she woke up. Minutes? Hours? It didn't matter. He would wait however long.

Things certainly hadn't turned out the way they had planned. They had gotten attacked- they hadn't planned on that. They had met Shira, the girl who was supposed to be dead- they certainly hadn't planned that either. But perhaps Shira could help them.

Amelia soon began to stir, studying her surroundings curiously. "Zelgadis...?" she murmured. "Wh-where are we? What happened?"

"We were rescued." Zelgadis replied. "By that woman named Shira."

"Shira?" Amelia gasped. "But I thought she was dead! So she's not? She rescued us? What happened? I'm so confused!" Amelia sat back down on the couch clutching her head. "Ow, and I've got a headache too!"

Zelgadis sat down beside her on the couch, putting his arm around her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I think I'm fine... thank you." Amelia replied, giving him a smile.

Zelgadis continued. "About Shira... there's something important you should know..."

"Something important?" Amelia asked. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Shira is... She's a chimera." Zelgadis replied.

"A... a chimera?" Amelia gasped. "What kind of chimera?"

"She's half golem." Zelgadis responded. "Just like... well, just like I was... sort of."

"That's incredible!" Amelia exclaimed. "I didn't think that there were any other golem chimeras in existence!"

"I guess there's bound to be one somewhere in the world, if you know where to look... and another thing..." Zelgadis continued.

"What's that?" Amelia asked.

"Well... it sounds as if she was the one turned herself into a chimera. I guess she decided that having greater strength and such would help her since she was living alone... but it also means that she can't go back to the village, since they'd mistake her for a monster."

"So the golem monster that people have been seeing on the mountain... the one not being controlled by anyone... you think it could be..." Amelia gasped.

"Most likely. If someone saw Shira from far away, they might think she was a golem. It's not a hard mistake to make. Especially since her skin is a dark brown, like the rocks around here." Zelgadis nodded.

"Say... I was wondering..." Amelia mentioned. "I've wondered this for a long time, but never asked it... why exactly was your skin blue as a chimera...? I mean... I've never seen a blue rock before..." Amelia blushed, realising that her question sounded silly.

Zelgadis shrugged. "You're asking me as if I_ know_? If there was anyone to ask, it would be Rezo. But that's really not an option anymore..."

"Excuse me, you two- I don't mean to interrupt, but I just noticed that you woke up... Amelia, is it?" Shira entered the room, glancing back and forth between the two. "And... did I catch your name?"

"It's Zelgadis." the demon-chimera replied, shaking his head. "And you didn't really interrupt anything."

"Oh, alright. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? I mean, I have two guests in my house that I know next to nothing about." Shira requested, sitting down on the couch beside Amelia.

"We don't mind at all, Miss Shira!" Amelia exclaimed. "You've been so incredibly hospitable to us! It would be rude to refuse you!"

"Oh, well... I wasn't sure... I'm not very good with people, unfortunately..." Shira sighed. "But I've been wondering... what is a couple like you doing up here in the mountains? No matter how you look at it, I just can't see it being a very romantic destination."

Amelia laughed. "I agree with you there. We're actually here on a search for a very important item."

"And important item?" Shira asked curiously.

"Yes! An item that we need in order to defend Justice and keep the world in order!" Amelia exclaimed, jumping up. Shira seemed a bit intimidated by the princess' act, so Zelgadis grabbed Amelia by the shoulder and made her sit down again.

"Calm down, will you?" he sighed. "We came to these mountains in order to learn more about a certain relic that was said to be hidden here. We tried to get someone from the village to guide us, but they wouldn't come up to the mountains. They were too afraid of... well, something they called a monster..."

"They were too afraid of _me_." Shira sighed. "Figures as much."

"Well, not _you_, per se." Zelgadis corrected. "You see, they think that you're dead. Remember?"

"You told me that." Shira nodded. "But what exactly do they think happened?"

"They think that you tried to create a free-thinking golem and that it turned against you and killed you!" Amelia said.

"A free-thinking golem?" Shira gasped, looking slightly horrified. "As if I would ever make such a thing! That could turn out unthinkably terrible! Like you said- without anything to control it, it could fall victim to evil influences and be turned against its maker! I'd hate for any of my creations to fall victim to such problems! No thank you!"

"I guess that's the purpose that they thought you had by studying chimerism... but now we know what you were really studying it for..." Zelgadis murmured.

"Quite right. I figured that, if I was going to live alone, I'd want to heighten my abilities a bit. And..." she blushed slightly. "I... always wanted to know what it was like to be a golem..."

Amelia laughed. "I suppose you would be curious, wouldn't you?"

"So now the question is- do you like it?" Zelgadis asked.

Shira thought for a moment. "I suppose... I would say that I do. There's nothing I really miss all that much about being a human... well, besides the fact that I can't exactly go back to the village looking like this... but I don't mind that too much either." she offered her visitors a weak smile. "I may seem a more sociable to you than I really am, simply because you are the first people I have seen for a while."

"I guess it really depends on the person, then." Zelgadis sighed.

"It certainly does..." Shira agreed. "Oh, but we're getting off subject! What were you saying about an important item?"

"Oh yes! That one!" Amelia said. "Well, we were wondering if you had heard anything about an ancient relic located somewhere in these mountains! We're trying to find it and take it to our friends!"

"I have heard a few rumours that I can share with you..." Shira said, pondering the question for a moment. "What do your friends need it for?"

"Well, they don't really need it for themselves... they just need to keep it out of the clutches of evil!" Amelia replied.

"Evil, huh? You don't say..." Shira murmured. "Well, I can tell you what I know. In fact, there is a cave near here that I have visited before, where an ancient group of people hid something important... I never felt the need to investigate it further... but it might just be what you're looking for."

"You'd really do that for us, Miss Shira?" Amelia asked, her eyes sparkling. "After all the trouble we've caused you?"

"Trouble? It's no trouble." Shira replied. "Like I said, you two are the first people I've seen in a while. It's interesting to have someone besides myself to talk to." Shira laughed. "Well, my golems, which is practically like talking to myself. I really haven't found anything this interesting outside of books in... a long time..." She looked nostalgically out the window. "I have you to thank for relieving some of the boredom around here..."

"We are very grateful to you anyway, but that's an interesting perspective." Zelgadis observed. "Boredom is sometimes a luxury that escapes us and our friends..."

"You'd _prefer _to be bored?" Shira asked, looking curiously at her fellow chimera.

"Well, it is preferable to fighting against powerful monsters, Dark Lords, and who-knows-what-else..." Zelgadis responded casually.

Shira blinked. "You really are some strange people..."

* * *

"Lorelei darling, whatever happened to you?" Xellos gasped, grabbing the young monster by her shoulders.

"Valgaav happened." Lorelei panted. "I was trying to follow him- I saw him take the relic. We've got to go after him!"

"How?" Filia asked. "He's really fast!"

"Well, I'm pretty fast myself, and I doubt that Valgaav could outrun a Golden Dragon." Lorelei suggested.

"W-wait, then you want me to-" Filia began.

"How else are we going to catch up to him?" Xellos asked.

"Are you really sure?" Filia asked. "I mean, a dragon suddenly appearing in an area like this would be..."

"No more surprising than the sudden disappearance of an important historical relic." Xellos pointed out. "Now stop arguing and transform! We don't want to lose Valgaav!"

"A-alright..." Filia murmured, beginning her transformation. Xellos pulled Lorelei aside to talk to her quickly.

"Lorelei, how do you expect me to follow you two?" he asked.

"Ride Filia, of course." Lorelei replied.

Xellos sighed. "I thought as much. Alright, I suppose since there's not much other option..."

"Are you two coming? You're the ones who were just rushing me!" Filia called.

"R-right! Of course!" Xellos responded. "You... do have room for a passenger, don't you?"

The large dragon crouched toward the ground to allow Xellos room to climb onto her back. "Hop on." she instructed.

"I'm going on ahead!" Lorelei called, clutching her staff and flying up into the air. Filia flew after her, with Xellos hanging on tight.

"Wow, you really are fast, Filia." he observed. Xellos realised that he pretty much had his arms around her- or as much as he could with the size difference. He'd never ridden a dragon before (he certainly had never had the need to), and the feel of her scales against his arms was unfamiliar- though not unpleasant, he noticed with a blush.

"Dragons have to be able to fly fast. You never know what kind of creature might be pursuing you... or what kind of creature you might be pursuing." Filia responded. "But you know, you really don't have to hold on so tightly. I'll make sure you don't fall off, honest."

"Oh, uh, sorry! Sorry!" Xellos blushed further, loosening his grip. He felt slightly indignant that she would assume he was scared, but he was somewhat relieved that she didn't assume something a bit... less innocent..."

"Valgaav! Get back here!" Lorelei yelled. The monster she was pursuing heard her and turned around slightly.

"You can't be serious..." he groaned. "I thought you'd have the common sense to stay out of this!"

"Not likely!" Lorelei snapped. "You know I won't let you do whatever you want, right? That relic doesn't belong to you!"

"It doesn't belong to _you_ either." Valgaav pointed out.

"Uh... yeah... But you talk a lot of threats and never end up doing anything!" Lorelei accused.

"Oh, I can always make quick work of a pipsqueak like you, but I'm afraid that I'm preoccupied with other tasks. It wouldn't be worth my time. So now..." Valgaav turned to leave again, but Lorelei flew up behind him and threw her staff around his neck.

"Not so fast, you traitor!"

"Traitor? What do you mean?" Valgaav asked, shooting a curious look at Lorelei.

"You're a servant of the Demon Dragon King, aren't you? Then you're a traitor to the Monster Race!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"I was never a monster to begin with- not until Lord Gaav helped me out. I was never on your side in the first place." Valgaav explained.

"Huh? What?" Lorelei asked. "Gosh, I don't get it! Are you a monster or aren't you?"

"I am a monster, and proud of it!" Valgaav said. "I don't need you to lecture me on anything!" He grabbed Lorelei's staff and twisted it around, throwing her away from him.

"Look out!" Filia called, flying up behind Lorelei to catch her. "Are you okay?"

"Like heck I'm okay!" Lorelei spat. "That stupid monster is so darn conceited! I want to show him a thing or two!"

"B-but Lorelei... it's Val..." Filia began. "We can't exactly..."

"FILIA! This is no time to be maternal! This is not the 'Val' you've cared for the past several years! This is Valgaav, the monster- the one who's fighting against us!" Xellos exclaimed.

"B-but..." Filia stammered. "He... he... I can't..." She began to falter mid-flight, and Xellos grabbed on tightly to keep from falling off.

"H-hey, hey! Take it easy! You've got a passenger who can't exactly fly himself!" he called. "At least right now..." Xellos added under his breath.

"I'm sorry, Mister Enrico... but..." Filia continued.

"But nothing! Get a hold of yourself!" the boy instructed sternly.

Lorelei flew toward Valgaav angrily. "Hey! You! Can't you see how terrible you're being? Look how much pain you're causing Filia! And after all that she's done for you! How can you live with yourself?"

"Done for me? What nonsense are you spouting?" Valgaav demanded.

"What? You mean you don't remember? All these years that she's cared for you and helped you out! The way she decided that she would love the person you'd become despite knowing the person you'd been? You just choose to ignore all that and fight her anyway?" Lorelei yelled, growing frantic.

"What utter nonsense is this? I don't even know what you're talking about!" Valgaav said with a glare. "Quit wasting my time!" He flew forward toward Lorelei and lashed out with his sword again. Lorelei managed to dodge once, catching the weapon with her own staff.

Filia and Xellos watched as Lorelei and Valgaav fought. "He... doesn't remember..." Filia murmured sadly.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised." Xellos reasoned. "After all, any creature inside an egg would obviously exist in an embryonic state and would not have a consciousness with which to register memories. And even if he did somehow remember you, I'd be willing to bet that those memories would have been erased when he was revived as a monster. He's not going to appreciate your caring efforts, unfortunately."

Filia opened her mouth as if to speak, but couldn't find the words. Her large, golden wings flapped weakly to stay aloft, but her heart wasn't in it.

Lorelei lashed out at Valgaav once more, actually managing to score a hit this time. Valgaav paused, clutching surprisedly at the new scar on his face. "I've had it with you!" he growled angrily. Done with his sword, he channelled a powerful magical attack into his hands and shot it directly at his small opponent. Lorelei had no time to dodge and screamed as she was hit.

"Lorelei!" Xellos yelled. Filia flew around just in time to catch the young monster. Xellos clutched the girl protectively, seeing that she was injured and nearly unconscious. "Dang it..." he murmured. "How did Valgaav get so powerful?"

By the time they turned their attention back up, Valgaav was gone. "Darn it! We lost him!" Xellos cursed.

"We need to get Lorelei healed right now. Where should we go?" Filia asked.

Xellos shot a glance at the town they had come from, now far below them. "Anywhere but here." he replied.

"Right." Filia sighed, flying in another direction, her slow descent mirroring her heavy heart.

* * *

The group stopped at a campsite in the mountains just a short while after it had gotten dark.

"Should we start making dinner now?" Zara asked.

"By all means, go ahead!" Triarthrus replied.

"Yeah! I'm starving!" Lina agreed.

Zara began kindling a campfire while the other men began setting up the tents. "So..." Lina began, approaching Triarthrus. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to share some of that information on the mountains now."

"Sure thing, kid. I'd be glad to! It's the least I could do for you, after what happened today." Triarthrus replied, sitting down. Lina sat beside him. "So, what do you want to know?"

"I've heard a legend about some ancient stone relic here in the mountains, but I haven't been able to find any more information about it. Do you know anything about that?" Lina asked.

"Oh, that legend? Of course!" Triarthrus continued. "It's said that there is a stone relic kept up here in the mountains that ancient people used for ceremonies. It's supposed to be in the shape of a frog."

"A frog? How odd..." Lina murmured.

"Anyway, they used to use it for rite of passage ceremonies- you know, the way a tadpole becomes a frog and such? But as those practices fell out of use, they hid it away in a cave. No one has really wanted to venture up to find it, but I have the coordinates of the cave if you'd like them." Triarthrus offered.

"Oh, that would be so helpful!" Lina gasped. "Thank you so much!"

"Of course... let's see..." Triarthrus nodded. Lina handed the man one of her maps or the area, and he surveyed it for a second before drawing some coordinates on it. "Does this look about right to you?"

Lina shrugged. "You're the scientist here, not me."

Suddenly there was a yell from somewhere in the distance. "What was that?" Lina asked.

"It sounded like Ktenoura." Triarthrus replied. "I wonder what's wrong... We should go and see!"

Lina and Triarthrus followed the sound to where the group of men were gathered.

"What in the world is going on here? Why is everyone gathered around like this?" Triarthrus asked. Suddenly he gasped. "Wh- what are you doing here?"

It seemed Ktenoura had found someone spying on them while they were setting up camp.

That person was Onnia.

"Onnia, what in the world are you doing here?" Triarthrus explained

Onnia blushed. "Don't you see? I had to come! I had to!" she exclaimed. "I had to come and show my undying gratitude for Mister Lian!"

"What?" Lina exclaimed. "How could you do this? You're not supposed to be following us!"

"But Mister Lian, don't you see? You saved my life! I have to follow you!" Onnia protested. "I thought you'd be proud of me for following you all this way!"

"Proud of you? You broke rules, Onnia! What would I be proud of?" Lina exclaimed.

"But Mister Lian-"Onnia protested, though Lina was already walking away.

"We don't have the time to take you home right now, so you'll just have to stay for a while." Triarthrus sighed. "In the meantime you'll stay with me and Ktenoura, understood?"

"Yes father I understand, but..."

"But what?"Triarthrus asked.

Onnia sighed. "...but nothing, father." she said, following him, directing a wistful glance in the direction Lina gone.

* * *

"A riddle? How incredibly cliché of them." Zelgadis commented.

"I think it's kind of clever, actually." Amelia said, examining the stone inscription on the cave wall. "Are we supposed to solve it in order to reach the area where the relic is hidden?"

"That's usually the point of these things." Shira pointed out.

"How odd... I haven't seen this one before... and I've seen a lot of riddles..." Zelgadis said, reading the words musingly.

_It is golden, but it has no colour,_

_you cannot touch it, yet it is easily broken,_

_some people love it, others hate it..._

_What is it?_

"Let's see..." Zelgadis said. "These types of riddles are normally easy to figure out, you just have to go about it the right way..."

* * *

"I can't believe that girl!" Lina complained, making sure that she didn't raise voice so loud that people outside the tent could hear.

"Gee, she really seems to like you." Gourry observed.

"You just now noticed this?" Lina sighed. "You're hopeless Gourry!"

"Well, sorry, but I still think it's kinda cute."

"That's not helping now! Lina sighed. "This is terrible! It's like this girl has some sort of crush on me, or something!"

"Hey," Gourry said. "at least she's not_ proposing_ to you."

Lina considered the statement for a moment before bursting out in a fit of laughter. "True, very true! I hadn't thought about it that way! I guess I don't have it as hard as you did huh, Jellyfish-brains?"

"That's an understatement!" Gourry laughed.

"Well, I can say for the record that the only one who has ever proposed to me was you." Lina said. "...and it had better stay that way..."

"Oh I'll make sure it will." Gourry assured her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders overprotectively.

"There! See? That's the possessiveness I was looking for!" Lina laughed, reaching up to kiss him, locking lips for an all-too-brief moment.

"Hiya! Kid here!" Zara called, having just entered the tent as well.

"Hey!" Lina exclaimed, separating herself from Gourry. "What's the matter? It's not like it it's anything you haven't seen before."

"Just saying." Zara laughed. "I was talking to that girl who just came here. She seemed nice. She really seems to like you, Lina."

Lina groaned. "Ugh... this is terrible~"

"Terrible? What's so bad about it?" Zara asked.

"Everything!" Lina spat. "Onnia followed me here because she has some sort of crush on me, and now Triarthrus is mad at me because he thinks it's my fault that his daughter is now in danger! I just want to leave!"

"Well, you do have the map that Triarthrus gave you... before you got on his bad side..." Gourry pointed out.

"That's true... but I'm almost afraid that, if I leave before I can get Onnia off my back, then she'll follow us." Lina growled.

"But if you dropped your disguise, then she'd find out that you're a girl, right?" Gourry pointed out.

"Yeah... but that would certainly be an awkward conversation, now wouldn't it?" Lina sighed. "Not to mention that experience has taught me that she might not leave me alone, even after that..."

"Too true..." Gourry sighed, cringing slightly at the memory.

"Anyway, this is all your fault. After all, this was_ your_ idea in the first place." Lina accused.

"My fault? Aww, Lina, that's no fair! I had no idea that this would happen-"

"I'm sick of this and I'm not going to let this continue any longer! If that stupid girl thinks she's going to follow me around all the time, well I'm going to give her a piece of my mind, that's for sure! Lina Inverse doesn't let people off the hook for things so easily! I'm going to make somebody pay for all that I've been through-"

"Gourry, is Lina going to stop ranting anytime soon?" Zara asked.

"Nah, probably not. It's really best to leave her alone when she gets like this." Gourry replied.

"You guys can go ahead to sleep." Lina said, getting up. "I'm going for a walk to blow off some steam. This whole situation is getting out of control."

"Alright, but don't go too far. Don't leave the boundaries of the campsite, okay?" Gourry asked.

"Okay, okay. I won't. Gosh." Lina sighed. "See ya." She waved before leaving the tent again.

Stepping outside, Lina looked around to see that there was no one else around. "Perfect..." she murmured, fingering the map that she had secretly taken with her. "Sorry Gourry, but I lied. Ancient relic, here I come!"

* * *

(A/N: Bad Lina! Bad! Running off like that! Plus Zel and Amelia have come across a super-cliché riddle thing! Fun, right? I worked hard on that one, so if anyone can solve it, it would make me super-happy! ^.^ Haha~ ...and there'll be only one more chapter that's split up like this, even if it has to be really long to tie up all the loose ends. Then I'll just be focusing on one group at a time. Hard work~ ugh...)


	21. 21: Thoughts and Discoveries

Hello there! Chapter 21 here! Last chapter I said that this would be the last one with the scene-splitting... I lied... just because I can't tie up all the loose ends and keep the chapter at a reasonable length... So anyway, here it is! Do enjoy! And I do not own the characters, I just enjoy manipulating them for my own nefarious purposes. *insert evil laugh*

**21- Thoughts and Discoveries**

"Aha! Here it is!" Lina's voice echoed into the cave opening. She stared at it, a pleased expression on her face. "Didn't take me long to find! Now I can go grab that relic and-"

"What relic?"

Lina heard the voice behind her and immediately recognised it. She cringed as she turned to face the girl who had apparently followed her. "Onnia... what are you doing here?"

"M-Mister Lian... I saw you leave the campsite... and... well..."

"So you've been stalking me." Lina accused.

"Stalking? N-no! That's not it! I just saw you leave and thought you might need some help-"

"With what?" Lina demanded. "Don't you think I can manage things on my own?"

"W-well... uh, I..." Onnia stammered.

Lina sighed, turning around again. "Come on, follow me. But stay close, because we don't know what kinds of dangers might be lurking in this cave."

Onnia smiled brightly. "Of course! Oh, thank you, Mister Lian!

"Yeah, yeah..." Lina sighed.

* * *

"Valgaav seems to be drawing a lot of power from the Demon Dragon King." Lorelei observed, still healing her various wounds. She tried not to make eye contact with Filia- she felt rather bad about feeding off the dragon's heartbroken emotions... Though it was awfully convenient, given the situation.

"That's a very plausible assumption, since it's blatantly obvious that he's drawing a tremendous amount of power from someone." Xellos nodded. "But what I'm most concerned about is just how they got their hands on that crystal... and what secrets it might hide besides Gaav's spirit.

"You think there's more to it?" Lorelei gasped.

"There has to be." Xellos said. "Crystals containing the spirits of destroyed Dark Lords are not exactly commonplace, and you don't exactly find them lying around for no particular reason. There must be some sort of plan behind it... and when you think of plans, Lord Gaav is not exactly the first Dark Lord who comes to mind..."

"B-but-" Lorelei gasped. "Lord Hellmaster is dead!"

"So is Gaav." Xellos replied curtly. "Supposedly, of course."

Lorelei shook her head. "No way... no way..."

Xellos gave Lorelei a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it at this point. We've just got to find another relic- we'll get that one for sure! Okay?"

"R-right..." Lorelei sighed. "But... what about Filia? Is she okay?"

Xellos shot a glance at the dragon- now back in human form- sitting dejectedly leaning against the trunk of a large beech tree. She seemed to be studying the bare branches with rapt interest. Lorelei moved towards her as if to comfort her, but Xellos put his hand in front of the girl. "Here, let me handle this. Okay?" he asked.

"O-oh! Okay! Of course!" Lorelei nodded eagerly. She wasn't sure what had prompted the change in attitude, but certainly wasn't going to object. Perhaps "Enrico" would finally reveal his secret to Filia, and their whole lives would be a bit easier. Lorelei sure hoped so. She could still remember when Xellos had first introduced her to Filia. The dragon's strong emotions and fervid personality had made Lorelei instantly like her. And as soon as she saw Filia and Xellos with each other, she decided right away that she wanted them together. But they were both so stubborn... perhaps Xellos' predicament was just what they needed to bring them together.

"Hey." Xellos began, walking up to where Filia sat. She did not reply, so he sat down beside her, waving his hand in front of her face. "Heeey~ Filia!"

Filia snapped to attention suddenly. "Oh! Enrico!" she said. "I'm sorry!"

Xellos shook his head. "Don't be." he gave Filia a small grin. "Valgaav is a real jerk. Don't let it get to you."

Filia sighed sadly, burying her face in her hands. "I just... just don't understand..."

"Filia?" Xellos began, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't understand how this could have happened!" Filia sobbed, beginning to lose control of her emotions. "I know that no creature besides a monster is really born evil, and becomes evil through the circumstances presented to them in their lives. I... I know that's why Valgaav was the way he was, and I thought that maybe if I gave him a good home with someone who loves him and supports him, that he wouldn't turn out the same way! But now this... this is exactly what I didn't want! Now he's a monster again and thrust back in the path of evil! Oh, Enrico, I just don't understand it!"

Xellos stared in surprise as Filia broke into tears. He put a comforting hand on her arm, and she rested her head on his shoulder, still sobbing. "Filia..." he murmured, watching her. It was so strange for him to see her crying to him like this. But it made sense. If he had been a monster, then she would never have shown him her emotional turmoil. She would have done her best to hide it, all the while knowing that it was still obvious and that he was probably getting a meal off of her. This, of course, would make her angry and avoid him at all costs- not cry on his shoulder the way she was doing now. Xellos put another arm around Filia. Perhaps being a human wasn't ALL bad...

Filia sat up, beginning to dry her eyes. "I... I'm sorry... I just..."

"No, no Filia..." Xellos shook his head. "You make a good point... but..." he began, wondering what to say next. He had to think of some way to comfort her. If she stayed all upset like this, then they'd never find another relic. "Well... you said that you didn't understand... but when you think about it rationally, that's not as much of a problem as it seems..."

"What do you mean?" Filia asked.

"Think about it. We don't understand everything in this world- we can't. That's why having faith in the things you cannot comprehend is so important. As a former priestess of the Fire Dragon King, you should know firsthand the power of blind faith. Believe me, faith can trump understanding nearly every time. That's why we can't understand everything. If we understood everything, then there would be nothing to believe in... no surprises... no miracles... you have to admit that the world would be a pretty boring and sad place, wouldn't it?" Xellos offered Filia a weak smile, hoping that whatever things he'd just jabbered about made some sort of sense. He was pretty used to coming up with things off the top of his head, but this was a new situation.

Filia looked at him with an expression of awe. "E-Enrico... that... that was beautiful..." Tears threatened at the edges of her eyes, but she brushed them away. "No one has ever said anything like that to me before... it was practically poetry..."

"R-really?" Xellos gasped, trying not to sound too surprised. "Uh, er, well... they say that there is beauty in the truth, right?"

"Right..." Filia sighed, brushing tears away from her eyes. "Thank you. I feel a lot better now. So... I suppose we're camping now?"

"I guess so." Xellos nodded.

"Then, should I start a fire or something?" she asked.

"That sounds good." Xellos said, smiling.

* * *

"I'm so confused!" Amelia sighed. "How can something be golden if it has no colour? Oh, that makes no sense! And if you can't touch it..."

"These riddles actually aren't that hard. There's a trick to it." Zelgadis said.

Shira and Amelia looked up, surprised. "A trick?" they both asked.

Zelgadis nodded. "If there is what seems to be a paradox in the riddle- such as the first line- one of the characteristics has to be a figure of speech, while the other is literal. You understand?"

"Oh, I get it!" Amelia exclaimed. "So either being golden is a figure of speech, or having no colour is a figure of speech! But... how do we know which one?"

"That's what we have to figure out." Zelgadis sighed. "Which one sounds like a figure of speech- a saying?"

"There are a lot of things that are said to be golden." Amelia offered. "Like, some people are said to have a heart of gold. Perhaps it's someone's heart?"

"You mean a figurative heart, or a real one? There is a difference." Zelgadis said.

"Uh... figurative." Amelia replied.

"I can see how it could be broken..." Zelgadis nodded. "But what about how some people love it, while others hate it? That part doesn't fit as well. I can see people disliking their own emotions and such, but I don't think you can ever truly hate your own heart."

Amelia teared up at the statement. "Beautiful, Zelgadis. Absolutely beautiful. No matter how unfeeling a person can be, it is impossible to hate one's own heart!"

Zelgadis groaned. "I didn't mean it like... I was only trying to be logical..."

"I think it's logical." Shira replied. "What else is there?"

"Oh! Oh! I've got it!" Amelia exclaimed. "Isn't there a Golden Rule?"

"I think I know that one." Shira agreed. "In law, it's a form of statutory construction where grammar can be modified to prevent an absurdity or inconsistency. It's pretty important, since it keeps odd phrases from being taken for their literal meaning... but what does it have to do with this riddle?"

Amelia and Zelgadis gave Shira a long glance that seemed to say '_you read way too many books_.'

"I think she was talking about the ethical principle... treat others how you'd like to be treated...?" Zelgadis ventured.

"Right!" Amelia exclaimed. "I don't know much about Miss Shira's statutory construction principles, but I do know that the Golden Rule is important- though it doesn't actually have a colour! Plus it's easy for selfish people to break, even though rules are completely intangible! And some egotistical people dislike the rule, but true lovers of Justice embrace it! That must be it!"

"As great as that sounds, Amelia... I'm afraid that it's not quite what the riddle is looking for." Zelgadis said.

"Aww, how come?" Amelia asked.

"Well, first of all, most of the time these riddles are asking for actual objects, not ethical principles. And second of all..." he paused for moment, not wanting to speak too soon. "... nothing's happening. It's a sure sign that you haven't solved the riddle if nothing had happened."

Amelia looked around and sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Let's see..." Shira murmured. "What else is golden and intangible...?"

"Golden and intangible..." Amelia murmured. "Oh! The Lord of Nightmares!"

Zelgadis and Shira both fell to the ground.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Zelgadis yelled.

"S-sorry..." Amelia murmured. "J-just... when I heard 'golden'..."

"There's got to be something else..." Shira murmured. "Let's see..."

Zelgadis closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "I wonder..." he murmured, thinking hard. "Have either of you heard the phrase... _silence is golden_...?"

Amelia and Shira gasped. "Oh! That must be it!"

"Silence is golden, even though it's something without colour! And when you make any noise at all, you break the silence- even though you don't actually touch it! And some people love silence, while others can't stand it and love noise!" Amelia exclaimed. "And that's why the answer to the riddle is silence!"

Suddenly the cave floor began to shake. "I-I'd say that's the sign that we got the riddle correct!" Zelgadis yelled, trying to keep his balance.

"Now what happens?" Amelia asked.

"N-now-" Shira began, but suddenly the floor fell out from underneath them and they began to fall into the pitch blackness below.

* * *

Unfortunately for Lina, she hadn't made Onnia promise to be quiet.

"So, what are we looking for again?"

"An ancient relic." Lina sighed.

"Why are we looking for it?"

"Because I need it." Lina growled.

"Why?"

"BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO KEEP IT AWAY FROM SOMEONE WHO SHOULDN'T HAVE IT!"

"S-sorry... I was just curious..." Onnia stammered.

"Well, stop being so annoying. Haven't you ever heard- curiosity killed the cat." The saying suddenly made Lina think of Riko. _Now there's a cat I really would like to kill... _she thought to herself.

Lina led the way deeper into the cave, followed closely by Onnia. Lina would have certainly been satisfied to search the place in silence, but it seemed that Onnia was not the type to appreciate the quiet- she kept bringing up conversation after conversation, only to have all her attempts at small talk shot down by Lina, who answered only in monosyllabic responses. Finally, she managed to find a conversation that really got Lina's attention.

"M-Mister Lian..." Onnia murmured, the same way she had many times now. "Do... do you like me?"

Lina stopped abruptly, causing the girl following her to crash into her.

"D-do I _what_?"

"Do you like me?"

Lina shot the girl a puzzled look. "What kind of 'like?"

Onnia blushed. "A-any kind. Do you think I'm a good person... that I'm funny... that I'm cute...? Something like that."

Lina narrowed her eyes. "You want my honest opinion?

Onnia nodded.

"I find you kind of annoying."

A stricken look passed over Onnia's face. Lina almost regretted saying it, but she couldn't let Onnia think that she felt any differently. "Sorry... but, uh... yeah..." Lina said. "I mean, it's not like you're a bad person or anything... I'm sure that if we got to know each other a little bit better... then... uh... you know, you're really..."

Onnia's face had taken on a look of hope at Lina's last sentence. "I'm really what?" she asked.

Lina patted the girl on the head. "Deep down, I'm sure you're a really nice person." _Really deep down. _she added to herself.

Onnia's eyes sparkled in such a way that Lina quickly pulled her hands away from the girl. "S-so, Mister Lian..." Onnia began. "Y-you really do... like me..."

"W-wait, I never actually said..." Lina began, but Onnia was already hugging her. "L-Look Onnia! I'm sure that you're really nice and all- I know that you're grateful- yes, I know- but- but- I DON'T LIKE YOU THAT WAY!"

The girl quickly let go of Lina with a slight gasp at the outburst. "H-huh...?"

"Sorry! I-I didn't mean to yell! It's just... I just don't... I mean, I've known you for less than a day, and..."

"I haven't known you for long either, but once you rescued me, I was sure that you were a wonderful person who cared about me! I was positive!" Onnia said, beginning to tear up.

"L-Listen... Onnia..." Lina sighed. "You're a nice girl. But when I rescued you, I was doing it because you were a person in danger, and I couldn't leave you. It would be 'unjust,' as my friend Amelia would say."

"Amelia..." Onnia murmured thinking over the name for a second. "You... you like_ her_?"

"Wh-what? Amelia? N-no way! Besides, she's married!" Lina stammered. She paused for a moment, looking sheepishly at Onnia. "...and... I am too... maybe I should have mentioned that from the start, huh?"

"Oh..." Onnia murmured, looking rather embarrassed. "I'm sorry... I didn't... that's... I guess..." The girl wasn't sure how to respond. "I-it was kind of impetuous of me to randomly run after some guy that I knew nothing about..."

"Nothing is right..." Lina murmured. She put a hand on Onnia's head again, smiling this time. "Don't worry about a thing, kid. No harm done. Just be sure to get a tad bit more information on a boy before you chase him all this way, alright?"

"R-right, Mister Lian!" Onnia nodded, chasing after Lina.

The disguised sorceress turned back around to the girl who was following her. "We'll just find that relic and be out of here. Why don't we-"

_BOOM~!_

Onnia screamed. "Wh-what was that?"

"It sounded like an explosion- from deeper in the cave!" Lina exclaimed. "And I think I might have an idea as to who it might be..."

"What? Someone else is here? You think it might be someone you know? Like Mister Gourry?" Onnia gasped.

"Not him! How the heck would _Gourry_ end up down here?" Lina growled. "No, I've got a feeling that, whatever this is, it isn't human..."

"N-not human?" Onnia shrieked.

"Shhhhhh~! They'll hear you!" Lina said, shutting Onnia up. "We've got to run! Hurry!" She took off in the direction that the sound had come from.

"W-wait, Mister Lian, shouldn't we be running _away _from the explosion? Isn't that common sense?" Onnia asked.

"Not in my book! We've got to find out who made that explosion! Most likely they're trying to get their hands on that relic! We can't let that happen! Stay behind me, alright?" Lina instructed.

"Alright..." Onnia murmured, sticking close to Lina.

They continued down the path until the sound of someone's voice stopped them in their tracks.

"A pair of humans? My, how utterly amusing. And I was afraid that my little mission would be boring. I guess you proved me wrong."

Onnia gasped, and Lina stiffened. The sorceress had heard that voice before, and wouldn't forget it. "Elmyria!" she yelled.

The monster came into view, holding a small frog-shaped figure in her hand. "Oh, it's you, you little pest. Not here to make things difficult are you?"

"You don't think I'm really going to let you keep your hands on that relic, do you?" Lina spat.

"I figured as much." Elmyria sighed. "I guess you are going to make this difficult for me. Ah, you're such an annoying girl. I'll try to make this quick."

"Same goes for me!" Lina yelled, quickly running to combat Elmyria. The two began to fight while Onnia watched, in horror. "H-hey! Don't you call him an annoying-" Onnia began, but suddenly cut herself off.

"..._girl_?" she murmured.

* * *

"Levitation!"

The three of them immediately cast levitation spells to make sure that their descent didn't have an... unpleasant ending.

Zelgadis felt his feet reach the ground, and cast a lighting spell in order to observe his surroundings. "How odd..." he murmured. "It's just a huge room."

Amelia and Shira landed beside him. "A large room, huh? So where are we supposed to go?" Amelia asked. The three held up their lighting spells to observe the room around them.

"It looks like it's some sort of maze." Shira observed.

"A maze?" Amelia gasped, looking around at the multitude of different passageways that branched off from the main room. "I see... it's awfully confusing-looking. How are we ever going to find the relic now?"

"I suspect that it's hidden somewhere around here... but finding that somewhere isn't going to be easy." Zelgadis observed.

"We could try splitting up. That way we cover more ground." Shira suggested.

"I don't think so." Zelgadis replied, shaking his head. "We could all too easily get lost in here, and it would be no good if we got separated from one another." He tossed a concerned glance at Amelia, unwilling to split up with her- especially in a maze like this one.

"I supposed you're right." Shira sighed.

"Yeah! We need to work together!" Amelia exclaimed, beginning to walk forward. "Together we can do so much more than- WAAAA~"

"AMELIA!"

Zelgadis was fast enough to quickly grab the girl before she fell with the floor of the cave into the large pit that had just opened up. Amelia had nearly fallen right into a pit trap. She clung to Zelgadis, staring warily at the blackness into which she had just nearly fallen. An ominous hissing noise seemed to be emanating from it.

"S-snakes...?" she murmured.

"A pit trap with snakes, huh? Talk about your cliché booby traps... and I thought the riddle was bad..." Zelgadis sighed.

"These people certainly don't have much creativity, do they?" Amelia asked.

Shira walked over to the edge of the trap along with her companions. "The area here seems to be full of traps like this." she observed.

"Great... now we have to get through here too? AFTER solving the riddle? Someone really doesn't want us to find this relic." Zelgadis complained.

"Oh! I've got an idea!" Amelia exclaimed. "If we can dig around the traps, then we can avoid them easily! Right?"

"But how can we be sure that the floor we're standing on isn't one large trap in itself?" Zelgadis pointed out. "If we tried digging under it, it could produce some horrible effects."

"Oh..." Amelia sighed. "W-well, that's okay! We can just fly above the traps! That would work!"

"But the cave ceiling only goes up so high." Shira pointed out. "And I'd really hate to get stuck between a trap and the ceiling, wouldn't you?"

Amelia sighed. "Okay... well... maybe... OH! Maybe we can tiptoe AROUND the booby traps!"

Zelgadis gave her a good knock on the head. "Are you even thinking these through anymore?"

"S-sorry..." Amelia replied sadly. "But what else can we do? If we can't dig under them, or fly above them, or sneak around them... then..."

"We could attempt to disable them." Shira suggested. "We do have a wide variety of magical spells that we can use. It wouldn't be too hard."

"That could work." Zelgadis nodded. "But we'd have to know what the traps are first. And to do that, we'd have to spring them- so there wouldn't be much reaction time."

"Still, it's the best idea we have so far!" Amelia said. "Much better than mine..." she added sheepishly.

"I guess it's settled, then." Zelgadis sighed. "Okay, let's take a look at some of these traps..."

* * *

(A/N: No notes today because I am lazy...)


	22. 22: Goals Reached and Secrets Revealed

(Hello! Welcome to chapter 22! Okay, this one is the last of the split-scene chapters! The next ones will focus on one group at a time... Thank goodness! Anyway, I don't own the characters –except for the totally made up ones- I'm just playing with them for a little while because it's fun~! So onward with the story!)

* * *

**22- Goals Reached and Secrets Revealed**

The traps were not too hard to navigate- especially since Zelgadis was all-too-familiar with most of them.

A pit of lava? Some Freeze Arrows would take care of that. Wooden spikes, shooting straight at them? Just a little bit of expert swordsmanship, and they were reduced to splinters. Quickly enclosing ceiling? A big explosion via an attack such as a Mega Brand would stop it in its tracks.

Zelgadis shook his head in pity of whoever had made the traps. "No imagination _whatsoever_." he sighed.

The group finally found themselves in a large room with no traps or barriers. "I suppose this is where we find the relic..." Shira began.

"Could this be it?" Amelia asked, standing over a small carving, sitting on a stalagmite that seemed to act as a natural pedestal. She picked it up and examined it. "It's a bat!" she gasped.

"Wow, you're right. And a rather unique-looking one too. I wonder what kind it is." Shira commented.

"If Zara were here, he'd be able to tell us what kind it is, right down to the subspecies." Zelgadis said.

"Who is Zara?" Shira asked.

"He's our friends' son. He's a really bright little boy." Amelia explained. "He reads quite a lot."

"Ah, I see. His parents must be so proud of him." Shira grinned.

"They are, though I think Lina sometimes finds it a bit annoying..." Zelgadis murmured.

"Anyway, where do we go from here? We have the relic." Amelia said.

"That's a good question. Where do we go? We can't go back the way we came- the way we disarmed those traps makes it impossible... but I don't see any other exits..."

"There is one." Shira said.

"Huh? There is? Where? I don't see it!" Amelia said.

"We have to exit the same way the bats exit a cave." Shira explained, pointing toward the ceiling- or rather, the lack of one. "Up."

Zelgadis grinned. "Good thinking. I didn't even notice." He extended a hand to Amelia. "Well, we got what we came for. Shall we go?"

"Right! Justice has prevailed in the end!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Justice...?" Shira murmured to herself as they began to leave the cave with a Ray Wing spell. "How strange..."

* * *

"Flare Arrow~!" Lina yelled, throwing a strong attack at Elmyria. The monster dodged with some difficulty.

"Hey! Be careful! You'll damage the relic!" Elmyria spat.

"I don't want it. I just don't want you to have it. Remember?" Lina reminded her.

"Oh, yes. Of course. How silly of me. I'm sorry, but I must protect this at all costs. It's for my master." Elmyria scowled. She fired a dark attack toward Lina and Onnia, who Lina had to grab and drag her behind a large rock.

"M-Mister Lian, who is this lady?" Onnia gasped.

"She's a monster who is trying to revive a Dark Lord using that relic- well, actually it's nine different relics, but if she gets all of them then her plan will be possible- and the world doesn't need that right now!"

"A-a monster... Dark Lord...?" Onnia gasped. Those were both things she had only read about and had never experienced in real life. She couldn't imagine actually being involved in a battle with such creatures- yet here she was, hiding from the attacks of a powerful monster, clinging to this person who obviously was personally familiar with her.

"She's so mean! I mean, she called you annoying, and a _girl_! She can't insult you like that!" Onnia protested.

"Right! I am most certainly not annoying!" Lina growled in response.

"And she also called you a girl." Onnia pointed out.

"That... wasn't an insult." Lina sighed, getting back up. "Hey, Elmyria! Where do you think you're going? I'm not done with you yet!"

Elmyria groaned. "Are you still trying to tick me off? Because I'm afraid it's starting to work."

"Maybe... you know if you just let go of that relic, I'd stop bothering you!" Lina yelled.

"Not likely, human."

"Then it's not likely that I'll stop bothering you!" Lina replied. "FIREBALL!"

"So, you want to heat things up, eh? I'm fine with fighting fire with fire." Elmyria sighed. She grinned mischievously and created a large explosion. Onnia screamed, and Lina lunged toward the monster in an effort to avoid being pushed away from the force of the blast.

She grabbed Elmyria by the arm, fighting against the explosion and trying to get a grip on the frog-shaped relic.

"Why you immature little- what are you, a child?" Elmyria yelled, trying to shake Lina off. Lina had to admit, it did feel like a four-year-old's version of a fistfight on a school playground, but hey! She had to save the world somehow!

Lina hit Elmyria over the head with one hand and wrenched the stone figurine from her hands with the other. She jumped away from the monster, trying to hide in the flames that ensued from the explosion.

"Get back here- HUMAN!"

Lina scrambled in an attempt to orient herself against the smoke and heat from the burning flames. "Hey, Onnia! Where'd you go?" she whispered, trying not to let Elmyria know where she was. There was no response except the roar of the flames and the blast from another explosion. "Onnia? Onnia?"

"Here!" Onnia called.

"Shhhh!" Lina grabbed Onnia by the arm and dragged her toward the cave entrance. "We've got to get out of here while the monster is still distracted trying to find us!"

"How do we get out? Where is the entrance to the cave anyway?" Onnia asked. "Is she going to be attacking us? What do I do?"

"Shhhh!" Lina quieted the girl again. "Now, all those questions in order- we get out through the entrance of the cave- the cave entrance is that way, I think, because the fire is larger due to the higher amount of oxygen there- she's not going to attack us because we have the relic, and she doesn't want to accidentally destroy it- and you just need to stick close to me, okay?"

"A-alright, Mister Lia-"

"Miss Lina. The name is_ Lina_." Lina corrected.

"M-Miss Lina, then..." Onnia nodded. "Sorry if I..."

"Think nothing of it. Gourry always told me I made a good boy, so I guess it wouldn't be hard to make that mistake..."

Onnia nodded. "True. For a girl, you don't have much of a chest, to speak of-"

Lina stiffened. "Do you WANT me to leave you behind?"

"No! Please, Miss Lina, let's just get out of here!"

* * *

"I'm so glad that we were able to find this without a hassle. It really made things easier." Zelgadis murmured, looking over the relic thoughtfully.

"You call all that we went through 'without a hassle?" Shira gasped.

"Compared to what could have happened, I'd say so." Zelgadis nodded.

"Yeah! After all, we didn't get attacked by monsters! That's a good thing!" Amelia exclaimed.

"I suppose... though I don't often think about that..." Shira murmured.

"Trust me, when you've been through what we have, you count it a blessing when you avoid a scrape with a monster." Zelgadis explained.

"True, but the powers of Justice can always keep them at bay!" Amelia said, posing dramatically.

"You mean 'sometimes." Zelgadis corrected. "So... I suppose the two of us should head back to the village now..."

"Right! And Miss Shira will come with us!" Amelia added.

"I'll _what?_" Shira gasped. "Y-you must be mistaken!"

"I'm serious!" Amelia said. "You haven't been in such a long time, you need to pay everyone a visit! They'll be happy to see you!"

"Are you sure...?" Shira asked.

"Sorry, Amelia, but I have to ask the same question." Zelgadis agreed.

"I know they will- or at least they should! How can they not see that behind the rocklike exterior lies a kind and just heart? Miss Shira is a nice person, and they need to appreciate that! And besides, she actually looks pretty cool!" Amelia reasoned.

"You still consider that cool?" Zelgadis asked.

"Of course!" Amelia replied.

"I... think it's pretty cool too." Shira admitted.

"Do you really? I guess you're lucky, then." Zelgadis said. "But you still really shouldn't have to come back with us if you don't want to."

"I think..." Shira said, pausing for a moment. "I think Amelia is right. I should go back. I've been a recluse for too long... you two have reminded me how nice it is to have actual people around me. I know I don't like a whole lot of people at once... but... it's too lonely being by yourself..."

Amelia's eyes sparkled. "Miss Shira, I'm so glad to hear that!" She grabbed the chimera by her arm and began pulling her in the direction of the village. Zelgadis just sighed and followed them, mentally wishing Shira the best of luck.

* * *

"What on earth was that?" Triarthrus gasped, looking around the campsite. He was still half-asleep, but had been woken up by the sound of the loud explosion just a short distance away.

"I don't know! What's going on?" Gourry looked around.

"There was an explosion nearby. Is everyone here? Where is Onnia?" Triarthrus looked around, attempting to take inventory of the people.

"What about Lian? Has anyone seen him?" Gourry added.

"I thought he was with you guys." Ktenoura said, looking at Gourry and Zara.

"He left right before we went to sleep- he said he just wanted to blow off some steam and would be right back... I told him not to leave the campsite... but..." Gourry stammered. _...But since when does Lina ever do what anyone tells her...?_

"Does that mean he's lost somewhere?" Zara gasped.

"What about Onnia? She was in our tent when we went to sleep, but when we woke up she was gone!" Triarthrus exclaimed, an edge of panic to his voice.

"Where could she have gone?" Ktenoura gasped.

"I have an odd feeling that the explosion we just heard has something to do with them- Lian is notorious for that sort of thing." Gourry said.

"So you think it's _his_ fault that my daughter is missing?" Triarthrus growled.

"H-hey! Take it easy!" Gourry said. "It's not like he'd intentionally put her in danger- he saved her, remember?"

"He did save her... and we all know what that led to..." Triarthrus murmured.

"What are you saying?" Gourry asked.

"That little act of heroism is the whole reason that she has been all over him lately!"

"They've known each other for less than a day! How could you call her behaviour 'being all over him?' Besides, do you actually think that Lian likes it?" Gourry defended.

"What young man wouldn't like an attractive young girl fawning over him like that?" Triarthrus pointed out.

Gourry shook his head, finally sick and tired of this whole charade. "But Lina_ isn't_ a man!" he exclaimed.

Triarthrus paused for a moment. "H-huh? Lina? Who is... w-wait, you don't mean- 'Lian' isn't-"

"She wanted to find that relic- you know, on the map you gave her. She knew that you guys were the most knowledgeable in this area, but you didn't allow girls... so... she had to get, er, _creative_..." Gourry explained sheepishly.

"So you're saying that this whole time, the guy, Lian-" Ktenoura began.

"Her name is Lina." Gourry sighed.

"My, oh my..." Triarthrus sighed. "What a mix up... so she's a girl... but she saved my daughter!" Triarthrus exclaimed.

"Well, Lina's always been very... self-sufficient..." Gourry admitted. "She really doesn't need a bodyguard all that much... though I do that job anyway..."

"So... are you actually her brother...?" Ktenoura asked.

"N-no way!" Gourry exclaimed.

"I thought not." Triarthrus said. "After all, the two of you look nothing alike. She's so small, and the hair colour is completely different..." He paused. "So, from the looks of things, I'm guessing Zara isn't related to you either, right?"

"Well... er, not technically, but he's adopted, so he's ours." Gourry explained.

"Wait, so you're married?" Ktenoura asked.

There was a second explosion from the same direction, and the group turned to look.

"Y-yeah that's right- so can we continue this conversation sometime when we know where they are, and that they're _safe_?" Gourry exclaimed.

"He's right! We can't stand around talking! There are two girls who are in potential danger! We've got to help them!" Triarthrus agreed. He was the first to begin running toward the cave, but Gourry quickly outpaced him.

_Oh Lina, what kind of mess have you gotten yourself into _this time_?_

* * *

"The cave's gone up in flames!" Ktenoura gasped. They'd quickly reached the cave that Triarthrus had described to Lina earlier, but found a fiery inferno inside.

"That's impossible! There's no fuel! What is there to burn inside a cave?" Zara reasoned.

"That's a good point, kid, but I'm afraid that those are magical flames." Triarthrus explained.

"So someone with a high magical capacity would have to have created them... like maybe Lina...?" Zara asked.

"Maybe. Is she that powerful?" Ktenoura said.

"That powerful and then some. But this doesn't look like her handiwork." Gourry stated.

"Yeah... it looks more like... like a monster created it..." Zara murmured. "You don't think it could Valgaav or Elmyria...?"

"Who's that?" Ktenoura asked.

"Monsters! Our enemies!" Gourry gasped, running toward the flames. "Lina? LINA? HEY, WHERE ARE YOU? CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

There was a long moment of silence. Gourry kept waiting hopefully for some sort of response, but he knew the longer that he waited, the less likely she was to answer. Suddenly, there was a blast of cold air from inside the cave, forcing Gourry to step back.

"Th-that's a Freeze Arrow!" Ktenoura gasped.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you, jellyfish! Don't get so worked up! Like you said, causing a ruckus could attract unwanted company from our monster friends!"

Gourry couldn't help breaking into a relieved smile. "Oh, Lina!"

Lina ran through the temporary path created by her Freeze Arrows, dragging Onnia behind her. The girl crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath, while Lina turned around and shot a final attack at the cave. "DUG HAUT!"

The cave was suddenly sealed with the spire of earth that shot up from Lina's attack.

"Miss Lina, does that mean that the monster lady can't get out now?" Onnia gasped.

"No way. She can go wherever she wants to. I'm just hoping that it will deter her for a little while, at least." Lina replied, casting a wary glance back at the cave.

"Lina!" Gourry exclaimed, grabbing her. "What were you doing?"

"Getting _this_, of course." Lina exclaimed, proudly showing off the stone relic she was holding. She flashed the group a victory sign with her free hand. "I win!"

Gourry sighed. "You're really a handful, you know that?"

"H-hey! Not funny! I saved the world, didn't I?"

"Lina, you scared us!" Zara whined, hugging her.

"Sorry... but it's a good thing I left when I did- or else that annoying monster Elmyria would have gotten her hands on this for sure!" Lina explained. "...and I guess from the fact that you're using my real name, that you've told them everything..."

"Y-yeah..." Gourry admitted, blushing. "Sorry."

"Sorry, nothing! I'm glad we're all finally on the same page!" Lina exclaimed. She shot the rest of the group a stern look. "So, still think girls can't make it on their own?"

Triarthrus shook his head. "Not in the least. You've proved a point that I think we've been a bit too naive to see this whole time... you too, Onnia."

"R-really?" Onnia asked, her eyes sparkling. "Does this mean that I can come with you guys sometimes? I want to get stronger- to be cool like Miss Lina!"

"I don't see why not." Triarthrus sighed.

"Yeah! It'll be more fun to have you around!" Ktenoura grinned at his sister.

"Yay!" Onnia jumped excitedly.

"Well, now that that's settled, I'd say we should get moving. There's a certain lake I've had my eye on, and I'm pretty sure there's another of these relics hidden somewhere near there..." Lina began.

"You're leaving so soon?" Triarthrus asked.

"Well, Lina doesn't like to be in one place for too long." Gourry sighed.

"Yep! Next stop, finding another relic!" Lina exclaimed.

"Here we go again..." Zara grinned.

* * *

It was early evening, and the village was bustling with activity. Shira looked around nervously, wondering if anyone could see through the shawl that she had wrapped around her face.

"Miss Shira, you don't have to hide like that." Amelia said.

"I know, I just..." Shira murmured. Suddenly, she was hit lightly with a ball. A group of children playing nearby called out to her.

"Hey, Miss, could you get that please?"

Shira looked around for a moment, before picking up the ball and carrying it over to the children. A little girl came up to her to retrieve it. Shira handed the girl the ball.

"Thank you very much! Say, Miss, why are you all bundled up? I know it's cold, but you can't even see your face."

Shira sighed. "Oh, er, I'm sorry." She began to pull the shawl away from her face, exposing her stone face to the little girl. There was an expected gasp, but instead of getting scared, the little girl just smiled.

"Wow, Miss! You look really cool! Hey, do you want to play with us?"

It was now Shira's turn to gasp. She looked around nervously, and Amelia gave her a thumbs-up. "Ah, uh... okay... sure..." she replied, letting the girl lead her back to the group of children.

Amelia and Zelgadis just smiled, watching the young woman open herself back up to the world around her.

* * *

Filia wandered off in another direction, searching for firewood. Lorelei saw that their conversation had ended, and approached Xellos.

"Hey! You finished talking! Everything turn out alright?" she asked hopefully.

"Picture perfect." Xellos replied, giving her a thumbs up.

"So... did you tell her?"

Xellos stared at Lorelei for a moment. "Tell her? Tell her what?"

"Tell her what?'! What do you mean 'tell her what?'!" Lorelei growled. "Tell her who you are, of course! Aren't you tired of being called 'Enrico' all the time?"

Xellos shrugged. "Well, isn't it preferable to 'Namagomi?" he asked.

Lorelei scowled. "Not if you're going to be mature about it."

"Be mature? Mature about what?" Xellos demanded. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that it's immature of you to keep this a secret from Filia~!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"I've kept secrets from her before." Xellos defended. "Many times, in fact."

"Yes, but those secrets have never caused problems like this, now have they?" Lorelei asked.

"How would you know? You haven't known Filia as long as I have!" Xellos yelled.

"I do know that this is a problem! You can't go on like this! If you don't tell her soon, then she'll figure it out on her own!"

"Well, maybe she won't. And what's the problem if she does find out anyway?"

"She'll be mad! Really mad!" Lorelei stated.

"So? Her anger is most amusing!" Xellos exclaimed.

"When you're a monster, certainly! But you're a human now, for the time being, anyway! And just think of what it could mean for the future! For_ your_ future!"

"_Our _future?" Xellos questioned. "Lorelei, what in the world are you talking about?"

"Xellos, listen! If Filia finds out who you are before you tell her yourself, then she's going to lose whatever trust she had for you in the first place!" Lorelei yelled.

"So?"

"So? Xellos, for once could you think beyond your own interests? I can't believe you would be so immature as to continue to keep up this charade! I've said before that I want to stop being such a kid, but you make me feel like I'm the responsible grown-up, and you're the child! This is not how things are supposed to work!" Lorelei snarled.

"Well, Lorelei, I believe that's it's possible to be a bit too grown-up, and I'm afraid that you may have officially crossed that line!" Xellos responded with equal vehemence.

"What are you talking about? You've told me again and again that I need to be mature and grown-up about things and show some discipline! And now when I criticize you for the same thing, you tell me that I'm _too_ grown-up! Perhaps a little consistency in your instruction would help more than anything!" Lorelei spat.

"Lorelei, you're making this difficult."

"Excuse me? _I'm _the one making things difficult?" she exclaimed. "You're the one trying to hide from Filia!"

"I'm not hiding from her. I'm just keeping my identity a secret." Xellos defended.

"Well, your identity is too big of a thing to keep a secret. Your missions and motives are one thing, but to keep your very self a secret from her is crossing too many lines! You're being a total idiot!"

"You're in no position to be calling me names." Xellos ordered.

Lorelei scowled at the boy, turning away. "I'll say what I want to! If you think I'm so grown-up that I can manage without you, then I will~!" She jumped up and flew off in another direction.

"Lorelei!" Xellos called, but she didn't answer him. He sighed, figuring that she would probably come back on her own terms, and that he really didn't have anything to worry about. Everything would be fine.

"Enrico? What just happened? I heard yelling." Filia asked, coming up behind him.

"Oh, Filia! That was nothing. Lorelei is just being rather stubborn, I'm afraid." Xellos sighed. "It seems... as far as maturity is concerned... she's finally become a teenager."

"Oh dear." Filia gasped. "That's... not good..."

"On the contrary, Filia, I think it is a good thing. She's learning independence, which is a required trait for a monster. Ever since she was created, she's clung to her mentor- and when she was separated from him, she didn't know what to do. Now it seems that she's finally branching out on her own. And I suppose that... as much as I- _er_-" Xellos stopped, catching his breath, trying to sound as though he meant to end the sentence there. "I guess as much as_ Xellos_ will miss her, she needs to learn to be on her own."

"You're so wise, Enrico. You just never cease to amaze me." Filia commented, staring at the boy in awe.

Xellos shrugged. "Well, I just try to be logical."

Filia nodded again slowly. "That's good... uh, but... Enrico... did you..." She paused. "...did you tell Lorelei what we talked about?"

"What, just the two of us? No, I never got the chance. Why?" Xellos responded.

"Well... I was wondering... could you not tell everyone? I don't want them thinking that I'm too emotionally distraught to fight for the good of the world. I'll admit that I don't understand everything, and it's not a good feeling, but I'm still going to work hard to protect the world from any dangers. So... would that be alright...?"

"Of course, Filia." Xellos replied with a smile. "Don't worry about it. It'll be our little secret." He began walking the direction that Filia had set down the firewood, deciding that they needed a fire soon. Filia watched him go, her mind racing and clinging to his last word.

_What exactly is it that feels so familiar about this boy? I can't put my finger on it- he's nice, and his personality makes him someone that I'd definitely want to be with... but there's something oddly familiar about him that I can't place... _She began to think things through. _Well, there is his humorous personality...his obvious intelligence and experience... that playful smile of his... those purple eyes... what about that last word he said...?_

Filia stopped, gasping. Finally, finally- she realised what was so familiar about the boy.

_He... he... _She thought incredulously.

_He's just like Xellos! _

* * *

(A/N: Uh oh, look out, Xellos! Someone is finally catching on...)


	23. 23: Suspicious? Who's the suspect now?

(Why hello there! Welcome to chapter 23! I was going to start with one on Xellos and Filia, but this chapter was so much fun that it practically wrote itself... XD Anyway, I don't own the characters, I'm just playing with them for fun! So enjoy the story!)

* * *

**23- Suspicious? Who's the suspect now?**

"Alright then... let's see.. it took us a while, but we finally found the lake!" Lina exclaimed, looking out over the vast expanse of water.

"Lake? More like a sea!" Gourry said in awe.

"Wow! Lake! It's pretty! So pretty!" Zara exclaimed happily.

"It is nice, isn't it?" Gourry agreed, giving the child a pat on the head.

"Well, we can't just stand around here, we've got to do some searching!" Lina said, trying to move her two companions along. "We're wasting daylight!"

"Okay, okay... we're going!" Gourry laughed. "Do you think we could cover more ground if we split up?"

"That's not too bad of an idea..." Lina commented. "Though I'm not sure how we'd go about it..."

"I can go looking all by myself!" Zara volunteered.

"A-all by yourself? Are you sure?" Lina stammered. "It could be dangerous."

"I'm fine!" Zara said, grinning. "I can go and search all by myself- just like a grown-up!"

"A grown-up, huh?" Lina questioned, looking sceptically at the small boy.

"I think it sounds fine." Gourry said. "Three people searching separately would cover more ground anyway. And besides, Zara is fine on his own. After all, he can use magic pretty well."

"I guess so..." Lina sighed. She grabbed Zara by the shoulder and looked him directly in the eyes. "Just remember that if anything, _anything _happens, just call me and I'll be by your side faster than humanly possible. Okay?"

"Okay, Lina!" Zara said with a smile. "I'll be fine, I promise!"

"Remember, Lina, the same goes for you and me." Gourry reminded her.

"Oh Gourry, I won't need you." Lina said, waving her hand back and forth.

"Well, I hope that you won't, but just to be careful, I'm here. Okay?" He offered her a smile, which she hesitantly returned.

"Fine, fine... Let's all stop being so paranoid and find whatever it is we're looking for. Okay?"

"Okay!" Gourry and Zara agreed.

* * *

Zara strolled along the lakeside, enjoying the cool weather- it was midday, so it wasn't quite as cold as it was in the mornings and nights, and was actually quite pleasant. The boy hummed a little tune to himself, occasionally picking flowers and other nice-looking plants.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a person behind him. "Excuse me." a man's voice said after clearing his throat to get Zara's attention. The child spun around quickly to see a tall, rather domineering-looking man staring down at him. He stepped back, slightly wary, though a quick examination of the man revealed that he was nothing but a simple human. But human or not, Zara wasn't sure he liked the idea of being confronted by an unfamiliar person while he was alone. Suddenly, splitting up with Lina seemed like a bad idea.

"C-can I help you?" Zara finally managed to stammer.

"Perhaps. First of all, what is a young child like yourself doing all alone? Where are your parents?" the man asked. "Did they leave you?"

"What? No, no!" Zara assured the man. "We're looking for something and decided to split up. I'm searching on my own- just like a grown-up!"

"A grown-up, eh? I see. Well, perhaps if you're so grown-up, you'd be able to help me. You see, I'm looking for someone." the man replied.

"Looking for someone? Who?" Zara questioned.

The man paused for a moment. "Child, you wouldn't happen to know someone by the name of Lina Inverse, would you?"

Zara gasped, and his face brightened at the mention of the name. "Lina? Of course I know Lina! She's my mom!"

"R-really?" the man stammered, He seemed to re-examine Zara for a moment. "I... I see..."

"Mister, you know Lina too?" Zara questioned, a bit more willing to talk to the man now.

"Yes I do, in fact I've seen her many times. She'd recognise me, or at least she should."

"Oh wow! That's cool! I had no idea that you were one of Lina's friends!" Zara said with a smile. "I'm sorry I was scared of you."

"Oh no, think nothing of it." the man assured him.

"So... what are you doing here? Why do you need to see Lina?" Zara asked curiously.

"Well, it wasn't Miss Inverse in particular... I'm here to see_ you_. But I am here on business." the man explained.

"Me?" Zara asked curiously, as the man pulled out a large badge and showed it to him. "Whoa! That's a really cool-looking badge, Mister! Are you a police officer?"

The man shook his head. "Not quite, but close. You see, I am no ordinary police officer, but a special investigator!"

"Wooooow~!" Zara's eyes sparkled. "A special investigator! That's soooo cool, Mister!"

"Please," the man began. "call me 'inspector." He posed with the badge, trying to look official and professional. "The name is Inspector Wizer Freion, special investigator of the Ruvinagald Kingdom!"

"Ooh~! That's so cool, Mister Inspector Wizer!" Zara said happily. "My name is Zara... um..." The boy tried to strike a professional pose as well. "...Zara Gabriev of... I think...uh, Seyruun maybe..."

"I see." Wizer nodded, watching the boy with evident scrutiny. Zara blushed, figuring that maybe he had screwed up the introductions.

"Did I do something wrong, Mister Inspector Wizer?" Zara asked.

"No, not yet at least. And you seem like a nice young boy, but now I'm able to see through the clever ruse." Wizer murmured.

"Ruse? What ruse? What do you mean?" Zara questioned. "I'm telling the honest truth!"

Wizer took careful note that a boy of that age already knew what the word 'ruse' meant. "I'm sorry. I'm sure that you are, but orders are orders."

"Orders..." Zara began, but was suddenly cut off by his own yelp of surprise as a pair of silver handcuffs were placed violently around his wrists. "WH-WHAAAAA~?"

"I'm sorry, Mister Zara, but you're going to have to come with me."

* * *

"What? No! Hey! Let me go!" Zara yelled as Wizer attempted to pull him away. "Lina! LINA! HELP!"

Wizer had expected a child, but still had not sufficiently prepared for his intended convict- even as tight as he could get them, Zara's tiny wrists were able to easily slip out of the handcuffs. "FIREBALL!" The little boy shot an attack in his own defence- though it was more powerful than he had intended. There was a big explosion, and the place that Wizer had been standing was now engulfed in smoke.

"Zara! What happened? I heard you scream, and then there was an explosion! Are you alright?"

"L-Lina!" Zara sobbed, grabbing her tightly. "A... a scary guy tried to kidnap me..."

"A scary guy, huh?" Lina asked, still trying to soothe the panicked child. She couldn't see through the smoke and dust, but figured that there must be a person who would fit the description of 'a scary guy' somewhere in there.

"Y-yeah..." Zara sobbed. "I know you always told me not to talk to strangers, but... he said that he knew you... so I thought he'd be nice... and he even had this cool, official-looking badge, and said that he was a special investigator..."

""S-special investigator...?" Lina gasped, pausing for a moment. "Oh, please no, please no, _please no_..."

"LINA INVERSE!"

"Oh man..." Lina groaned, instantly recognising the voice. "You! Don't you ever quit? It's been 5 years! I'd think that you'd either have retired or forgotten about me by now!"

"Of course not!" Wizer exclaimed. "According to the information we've gathered, you're just as much of a threat as ever!"

"Maybe so..." Lina groaned. "But what business do you have putting handcuffs on my _son_?"

"Official business, Miss Lina." Wizer explained, pulling out a large document.

"Official business?" Lina asked sceptically.

"Yes. You see, the rumours that you have a child have spread to the Ruvinagald Kingdom. Naturally, we were concerned about the possible repercussions of such a thing, so I was dispatched to find out. I have an investigation warrant." He motioned to the paper, reading off of it. "_The investigator has the authority to detain said individual, should he or she be deemed a viable threat to national security. That is all_."

Lina stared at Wizer. "Zara... a threat to _national security_?" She began to giggle, and then burst into a fit of laughter. "Oh man, are you serious? That's a laugh!"

"E-excuse me?" Wizer stammered. "What are you talking about?"

Lina recovered from her laughter and sent a serious glare at Wizer. "Look, Zara is the sweetest, kindest little kid you'll ever meet."

"He certainly had no trouble shooting that powerful Fireball at me just a few minutes ago." Wizer pointed out.

"Oh, come on! If you were a little kid and some random guy you'd never met came up and slapped a pair of handcuffs on you, what do you think you would do? That's totally self-defence! The poor kid wouldn't even hurt a fly! Would you. Zara?"

The boy looked up, having not been paying much attention to the conversation. He'd been distracted, watching butterflies. "Lina, look! It's _Papilio Glaucas, _the Tiger-Striped Swallowtail! That's a very rare species,! I thought they were totally dormant this time of year!"

"Right, right. You wouldn't hurt a fly, would you, Zara?" Lina said, trying to get his attention back.

Zara thought over the question for a moment. "Well... I don't know... I mean, only unless it was a really annoying fly... or I was going to mount it in a bug collection for the sole purpose of scientific research..."

"See?" Lina exclaimed.

"He'd still kill the fly." Wizer pointed out.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Lina yelled. She sighed, frustrated. "Seriously, I know that _I'm _not the greatest humanitarian that ever lived, but you've gotta believe me, Zara is a_ good_ kid. I promise."

"That may easily be true, Miss Lina," Wizer said. "but I'm afraid that any child genetically related to you would just be naturally predisposed toward violence."

"Genetically...? Oh, for Pete's sake..." Lina groaned. "He's _not _genetically related to me- he's adopted!"

"Oh really?" Wizer paused and seemed to examine Zara again. "Well... that certainly changes things."

Lina fell over with a crash. "Oh does it, now?" She got up again, brushing the dirt off her pants.

"That makes a lot of sense, and explains a lot too." Wizer replied.

"Explains a lot?" Lina asked.

"Well, like the lack of family resemblance, for example. You can be sure that the boy looks _nothing _like you- that's why I was so surprised when he told me that he was yours."

"Well, we don't look alike, that's for sure." Lina sighed.

"Of course," Wizer continued. "he could have easily just taken after his father... but that certainly makes me wonder what kind of person would father such a child... considering that we're dealing with Lina Inverse here..."

"H-hey! Is that supposed to be an insult?" Lina growled angrily.

"I... I have a father! A good one!" Zara added.

"Really?" Wizer asked, surprised. "Is that really true? What kind of idiot would actually marry Lina Inverse?"

"HEY NOW!" Lina growled. "That's an insult, both to me and to Gourry! Admittedly he_ is_ an idiot, but he's _my_ idiot, so you have no right to insult him like that!"

"I see..." Wizer murmured. "Well, anyway, I suppose it's a good thing that this boy is not as inclined towards violence as you are..." he paused for a moment. "You... don't happen to have any other... _offspring,_ do you?"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT ME LIKE I'M SOME KIND OF ANIMAL!" Lina growled, pulling back her fist, threatening to hit the inspector. Wizer backed away slightly, and Lina calmed down somewhat. "As a matter of fact, I do _not-_ no thanks for asking."

"Ah, that's good." Wizer nodded. "Well, I would simply suggest that you keep it that way, Miss Lina. We don't know what kind of influence such children might have-"

"Are you _telling_ me how to run _my_ family?" Lina exclaimed angrily. "I'd simply suggest that you keep your mouth shut, Inspector!"

"Y-you don't mean that you're planning to..." Wizer began.

"No, no. I'm not. But that's not because of anything that _you've_ said." Lina explained. "There's a whole bunch of other reasons as well."

"Like?" Wizer asked curiously.

Lina paused for a moment. "Uh... well... um... that is... oh! Zara! I doubt that he'd want to have to put up with any brothers or sisters! Would you Zara? About the little brothers or sisters?"

Zara hadn't been paying much attention, but he caught the last part of the conversation and looked up at Lina excitedly, his eyes wide and sparkling. "Little brother or sister? I want one~! Oh Lina, that'd be so _wonderful_!" the boy exclaimed.

"W-wonderful?" Lina stammered, getting a response she hadn't expected.

"Of course! It would be so much fun to have a little brother or sister around! We could be great friends! And I could teach them stuff! We'd have so much fun together, it'd be great! I want a little sibling!" Zara gave Lina a pleading look that she wasn't prepared for. She had no idea that Zara even felt this way.

Wizer took a step toward the boy. "Now, I'm afraid that I have to argue with you. That is a very bad idea."

"How is it bad?" Zara asked pointedly. "If I had a little brother or sister, we'd be friends. Friends are always nice."

"You 'friend' would most likely turn out to be a destructive tyrant." Wizer said.

"Would not! They'd be_ nice_! I'd teach them!" Zara argued.

"You think teaching them would help? No, no, it's much better- _safer_- to stay an only child!" Wizer shot back.

"Is not! I want to be a big brother!" Zara exclaimed.

"Now look here-"

"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Lina yelled, causing Zara to quickly retreat and Wizer to step back for a moment. "Now look here, I'm not promising _either _of you _anything_. Got that?" She glared back and forth between Zara and Wizer.

"I should hope that you're not going to side with that young boy and do anything that you'd regret later." Wizer said.

"So what if I do? That's none of your business." Lina spat.

"That's right, Lina! You tell him!" Zara agreed.

"And you'd better drop the subject too, okay? We'll discuss it later." Lina said, and Zara nodded submissively. By 'later,' she meant 'I'll change the subject now, and you'll have forgotten about it in less than an hour.'

"Fine, then. I suppose I'll let this slide- just keep thinking rationally, alright?" Wizer sighed.

"Thank you." Lina said with a scowl. Suddenly, the three were interrupted by another voice joining the conversation.

"Huh? Lina? Zara? What's going on?"

"Oh! Gourry!" Zara exclaimed happily.

"We're just dealing with _this guy_." Lina said, motioning toward Wizer.

"H-hey! Don't call me 'this guy!" he replied.

"Oh! I remember you! That inspector!" Gourry said, proud that he had remembered. "You're inspector... inspector... _John,_ right?"

"J-John? WHAT ON EARTH POSSESSES YOU TO THINK MY NAME IS JOHN?"

"Oops... sorry..." Gourry murmured.

"No, good job." Lina said, grinning. She was glad to see Wizer getting worked up. "Now anyway, if you'll excuse us, we'll be going now. It's going to be late soon, and we need to find a place to camp."

"So we're just going to leave Inspector John?" Gourry asked.

"I told you, my name is not-"

"Yep. See ya later, _John_." Lina said, waving in Wizer's direction.

"Bye Mister Inspector Wizer!" Zara called, waving.

Wizer watched them go, a frustrated scowl on his face. _Darn it, my mission is not complete. I've still got some information that I haven't found yet... ah, no matter. I'll just continue to follow them. Though I'll have to do it discreetly, of course. Discreetly..._

* * *

It was already dark, and Lina sat, beginning to kindle a fire, while Gourry and Zara were still working to set up their little camp. Lina didn't like staying outdoors, especially in the cold weather, but there was no inn near the large lake, so they had to make do with what they had.

"Um, uh, Lina...?"

Lina turned to see Zara staring at her. He looked as if he was going to say something, but stopped. "What's up, kid?" Lina asked.

"Um, well... is it 'later' already?" Zara asked.

"Is it what?" Lina gave the boy a confused stare.

"W-well, we were talking... and you said that we'd finish the conversation later... so is it later?" Zara explained. He sat down beside Lina, looking up at her expectantly.

"Wha? Oh, um, well..." Lina stammered. She should have known that Zara wouldn't forget about their conversation earlier- why had she even tried? "Wh-what is there to talk about?"

"I think it would be nice... don't you?" Zara said.

"Well, maybe... I suppose... but Zara, you know that if you had a little brother or sister, I wouldn't be able to pay attention to you as much anymore. Do you think you would like that?" Lina pointed out.

"That's not true. Sure you'd have to take care of them, but I'd help you! And then we'd be able to spend even _more_ time together!" Zara exclaimed.

Crap, the kid could make a good argument.

"Well... I mean... if you just wanted another friend, you can always make friends. That's no problem for you. You have lots of friends- are you really that lonely? You can't be." Lina replied.

"Well, everyone in town I can see occasionally, but not all the time. And Lorelei is around sometimes, but she's gone sometimes too. If I had a brother or sister, then we'd actually live together! And it would be different because... well.. we'd be _related_!"

"Who'd be related to you?" Gourry asked, having just joined the conversation with no idea what they were talking about.

Zara smiled. "My little brother or sister!"

Gourry nearly fell over. "Y-your WHAT?" he stammered. "L-Lina, you-" He gave her an 'is-there-something-important-I-really-ought-to-know?' look.

"N-NO! NO!" Lina yelled, jumping up. "We're talking hypothetical! _Hypothetically_!" She turned back to Zara. "This is really a bad idea."

"B-but I think that if I tried to, I could be a good big brother..." Zara murmured.

"Yeah, I don't doubt that. But you're not the person that we're concerned about." Lina said. "Like Wizer said- they could end up being really mean and violent or something... I know that I was a terrible child... so..."

"Lina has a good point, Zara. I wasn't exactly the perfect child either." Gourry added.

"Thank you. See? He agrees with me." Lina said happily.

"But Lina, I don't think they'd be that bad! And if they're just like you, then you already know how to deal with them! You just need to remember what your parents did!" Zara said.

"That's a good point too. My grandmother always said that people who were unruly children were punished later by having children just like they were. But she always said that it was a good thing- to gain life experience or something."

"Oh, shut up, Gourry! Whose side are you on, anyway?" Lina spat. "Look, this discussion is over. I'm tired, and I'm going to bed." She got up and walked away, going into their tent. Gourry and Zara simply sat and watched her.

"I just... think it would be nice... that's all..." Zara sighed.

"Well, you've just got to let Lina decide that for herself." Gourry replied. "It's not like you can force her, or anything."

"I don't think anyone could force Lina to do anything!" Zara laughed.

"Oh, you'd be surprised..." Gourry murmured. "But yeah, you've got a good point!"

"...hey, Gourry?"

"What's up, Zara?" Gourry smiled.

"Whose side _are_ you on anyway?"

Gourry laughed and thought for a moment. "Whose side am I on, huh? Let's see..." He turned to Zara, putting a finger over his lips. "Don't tell Lina, because she'd kill me for siding against her, but... I'm on _your_ side. Wholeheartedly."

Zara smiled brightly. "Yay~!" He jumped up and hugged Gourry.

Gourry smiled. "I think it's time for bed. You coming?"

"No- I'm not that tired. I think I'll keep watch, just like a grown-up!" Zara said proudly.

"Keep watch, huh? Watch against what? There aren't any we're not near a town... there's just animals and crazy people." Gourry said.

"Then I'll keep a watch out for animals and crazy people!" Zara replied.

"Okay then, work hard." Gourry smiled at the boy, and went to join Lina- who'd hopefully be in a better mood.

* * *

(A/N: No note today because I am lazy.)


	24. 24: MixUps and Mayhem

(Hello there! It's chapter 24! This story just keeps getting longer and longer! But it's not over yet! Anyway, we are going to leave Lina and Gourry for a moment to see what Xellos and Filia are up to... Still, I do not own any of the characters, I'm just playing around with them because it's an enjoyable way to use my free time... I hope you find it enjoyable to read! ^.^)

**24- Mix-Ups and Mayhem**

Filia shivered as she heard a long, melancholic cry echoing through the forest. She looked around warily, her breath coming in short gasps, materialising into small clouds in the air around her. "Wh-what... was that...?" she murmured.

"That? Oh, nothing to be afraid of." Xellos said with a smile. "Just the mating call of the Red-Throated Loon- a common waterfowl in this area."

"That was a bird?" Filia questioned. "Oh well, it doesn't make it any less scary." Filia looked around again. "I never knew that waterfowl could make such strange noises..."

"They're very interesting creatures." Xellos nodded. "And speaking of fowl, how's our little friend doing holding up the rear?" he turned around and waved to Lorelei, who was walking a short distance behind them, dragging her feet.

"Don't call me 'little." she scowled.

"O-okay, then. Have fun back there." Xellos gave Lorelei an awkward smile, and a thumbs-up. He turned back to Filia with a panicked expression. "I don't know what to say to her! You're a mom! Help me!"

"You're asking _me_ for help? I haven't the slightest idea how to deal with teenagers! Mine is still an egg! Er... _was_..."

"R-right, right! My mistake!" Xellos said, trying to change the subject of the conversation, which had just taken a turn he didn't want. "So, the weather seems to be getting a tad bit warmer. Do you think a storm is on the way? I've heard that red-throated loons are known as the harbingers of storms."

"A storm?" Filia asked with a wary glance toward the sky. "I couldn't tell you. Maybe Lorelei would know."

"She might, but I'm kind of afraid to ask her..." Xellos said, shooting a wary glance at his apprentice.

"I understand. Perhaps it would be better not to ask." Filia nodded. They were both acting quite afraid of the young monster, though deep down they knew it was because they didn't know how she would react to anything they said. Xellos had been surprised that she joined them as they left again- even though she hadn't acted happy about it.

No, 'not happy' was an understatement. More like she'd dragged her feet and complained the whole way.

"I think... I may need to have a talk with her..." Xellos sighed, eyeing his young apprentice.

"Good luck. You're going to need it." Filia said.

* * *

"Uh, hey, Lorelei." Xellos said nonchalantly.

"What do _you_ want?" she scowled in return.

"Um, uh, well... lovely weather we're having, is it not?" Xellos grinned.

"You're wasting my time." Lorelei mumbled. "Who talks about weather?"

"Oh, I was just thinking. Red-throated loons are harbingers of storms, right? So do you think there will be a storm soon?"

"I couldn't tell you." Lorelei sighed, sounding quite annoyed.

"So you don't know either?" Xellos asked.

"Of course I know. I'm just not telling you." Lorelei responded.

"Ugh! Lorelei, this is not funny!" Xellos groaned. "Could you_ please_ lose the attitude?"

"Why?" Lorelei asked with a pointed glare.

"Because it's rude and immature!" Xellos replied harshly. He expected a loud outburst from Lorelei, but she didn't respond that way.

Lorelei gasped, a stricken look on her face. "I-immature? It's not! Not at all!"

"Of course it's immature. Are you blind... er, deaf?" Xellos replied.

"B-but, but... this is how adults show that they're upset, isn't it?" Lorelei asked. "Instead of being childish and crying..."

"Lorelei... are you trying to tell me that this whole attitude of yours has been nothing but a bluff?" Xellos gasped.

"I... I..." Lorelei stammered, trying her hardest not to cry. "I just... wanted to seem more like an adult... and instead of getting upset and crying... adults tend to... well... I don't know... get angry I suppose.."

"Oh, Lorelei..." Xellos sighed. "No, no. This isn't right. I think you've been hanging around Miss Lina and her friends for too long. This is not the right way to act. Having a childish attitude and being rude to everyone is just as immature- you'd be better off whining and crying."

"I... would...?" Lorelei choked. Her eyes began to fill with tears and she grabbed onto Xellos tightly. "Oh Xellos, I'm so sorry! I don't want to be mad at you! I just want to be more grown-up!"

"Well, that's sweet of you." Xellos said, a look of evident relief on his face. So Lorelei was just pretending the whole time! "But... if you really want to be more grown-up, you have to tell people how you feel, instead of trying to show it in childish ways."

"So grown-ups aren't supposed to show any emotion? Where's the fairness in that?" Lorelei asked.

"Who knows?" Xellos shrugged. "I guess it was something ancient people made up. It's certainly unfair, I know. But life is rarely fair, now is it?"

"That's so true..." Lorelei sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I just... I don't want you to keep your identity a secret from Filia anymore. I understand that it's fun- it was fun to watch for a while! But there are so many dangers around, like Valgaav for instance, that trying to keep up a charade like this is less fun, and even dangerous! I wouldn't want Filia to be put in danger all because of this."

"Filia... put in danger...?" Xellos gasped. He shook his head. ""Of course she'd be in danger! Oh Lorelei... I've got to set the record straight with Filia as soon as possible! And... thanks... for being more grown-up about it than I was..."

"R-really?" Lorelei gasped, her eyes sparkling.

"Of course. This might be a fun game, but our first priority is preventing the resurrection of the Demon Dragon King. After all, that's what Lord Beastmaster told me to do. I've been getting so horribly sidetracked... but from now on, we'll be focused! Come on! I've got to talk to Filia! It's time we got serious about protecting the world from a possible calamity..."

* * *

Once Xellos had left, Filia had time to think things through. Certainly she'd had more than enough time as they travelled to get here, but she was doing a lot of thinking- mainly about two people in particular.

Xellos and Enrico.

_I hate Xellos... _Filia had originally said, but the more she thought about this boy, Enrico, the more she began to rethink that statement. _I hate monsters. _Filia concluded that since Xellos was a monster, and she hated monsters, that she hated Xellos. It was simple logic.

But that's where that boy had to come in and complicate things.

Sure, he acted just like Xellos- which made him a suspicious character indeed. But, suspicions aside, it made Filia realise something very interesting. She claimed that she hated Xellos, but when she saw all of his traits on a human instead of a monster, she was already falling for him- despite the fact that he was a child. So what did that mean? Filia was beginning to wonder... was she simply attracted to 'Enrico' because she saw Xellos in him?

As she had learned, you were supposed to like or hate someone for who they were. But now she decided that she hated Xellos, not for who he was, but _what_ he was- and she liked Enrico, not for who he was, but for who he _resembled_.

"Oh man..." Filia sighed, resting her head against the trunk of a tree. "I've got Val as an enemy, trying to kill me and mess up the world... and now I've got _this _problem... since when has my life turned into a mix of a fantasy novel and a bad soap opera?"

Filia shot a glance in the direction that Enrico had left to talk to Lorelei. She wondered what they might be discussing. A rumble of thunder in the opposite direction captured her attention. _So there is going to be a storm after all... _she thought. _Figures as much. But it's so cold... not good storm weather at all... I wonder if it will snow. _Filia sat down under the shade of a lush evergreen tree in an attempt to gather her thoughts with protection from whatever precipitation decided to fall from the overcast skies.

_I think Enrico likes me... I can tell by the way he's been hanging around me, and the way he's commented me... and perhaps I've been part of the problem by encouraging him. It's only because he acts like Xellos! _Filia shook her head. _So does that mean that you like Xellos now? Hate or love? Make up your mind, Filia! _

Filia pushed thoughts of Xellos out of her mind and tried to keep her focus on Enrico for the moment. _What if he admits that he likes me? He might. He's become quite an outspoken boy recently... what could I tell him? I don't want to lead the poor boy on. Especially if I love someone else... _Filia corrected her thoughts. _Or hate him! It's still undecided! _

* * *

"Filia! Hey, Filia!" Xellos called. Filia looked up from where she sat underneath the protective branches of the tree. A very light rain was beginning to fall- so light that Filia almost thought it was snow for a moment. But it wasn't quite _that _cold.

"Lorelei! Enrico..." Filia called back. "Is everything... alright?"

"Everything's fine!" Xellos assured her.

"Oh Filia, I'm so sorry that I was so mean to you!" Lorelei exclaimed. "I didn't mean most of the things I said!"

Filia smiled, good to see Lorelei was back to her normal self. "So, I guess everything is worked out with you guys, huh?"

"I suppose..." Xellos began. "Um... Filia... could I _talk _you for a moment...?

The way he was avoiding eye contact, and the way he emphasised the word 'talk' made Filia slightly nervous. Had her hunch been right? What did he want to talk to her about?

"Um, of course, Mister Enrico." she replied, trying to use the honorifics to put at least a bit of distance between them.

"Alright, see you guys later." Lorelei said, walking off in another direction. "I'm off to collect some more information, if I can find it."

"W-wait! Lorelei! You're leaving? B-but Mister Enrico is-" Filia protested, but Xellos cut her off.

"Actually... I kind of wanted to speak to you alone." he admitted, flushing slightly, his mind still racing to figure out some way to explain the situation to her.

Filia noticed him blushing and gasped. _H-he's not going to... _"O-okay... what is it?"

"Well... there's been something that I've needed to tell you, but I've had a hard time figuring out how to explain it... and I'm sure you'll think I'm crazy, but I need to tell you anyway. It's... important."

Filia shook her head to stop him. "Look... I... I know what it is."

"I know you probably won't belie- what? " Xellos stopped mid-sentence.

"I... I know what you're going to tell me. I've thought it might be true for a little while now... and so, now I'm pretty sure..."

"You figured it out and didn't SAY ANYTHING?" Xellos gasped in total disbelief.

"What was there to say? It was obviously something you didn't want me to know until you were ready to tell me yourself." Filia replied nervously.

"B-but surely you must have had some reaction! I was sure that you'd think I was crazy, or at least would have a few choice words for me..." Xellos stammered, hardly able to believe that Filia would be able to keep her discover to herself and actually play along with "Enrico's" little act. "So... what now?"

"I... I'm sorry..." Filia murmured. "But... I need a little while... to think it over..."

"Think it over? But haven't you known about it for a long time? What is there to think over exactly?" Xellos asked sceptically.

"I... I'm sorry, Enrico..." Filia murmured, turning around and running off in another direction.

"Filia!" Xellos called, but she was already out of hearing range. The former monster stood still, flabbergasted by the Golden Dragon's behaviour. "What does she mean 'she needs to think about it? He paused again. "She called me 'Enrico' when she left... what exactly did she think I was going to tell her...?"

"Yo! Xellos! What happened? She take it really hard or something?" Lorelei asked.

"She... she said she already_ knew_."

"SHE KNEW?" Lorelei gasped. "H-HOW? SINCE WHEN?"

"I don't know... but I think... we're not exactly on the same page..." Xellos murmured.

"What?" Lorelei asked, still recovering from the shock.

"She... she acted all serious and said that she had to think about it." Xellos replied.

"Think about it? Huh?"

"And... when she left, she called me 'Enrico' still. And she just said it naturally- it's not like she was being sarcastic or trying to prove some sort of point." Xellos continued.

"So it sounds like we have a mix-up of major proportions. Filia thinks you were going to tell her something totally different from what you were going to tell her... and now she's all upset and we haven't the slightest idea what to do... ugh... why us?" Lorelei groaned.

Another loud, long cry rang out through the forest as the rain began to intensify, and Lorelei stiffened.

"Lorelei, dear? What's wrong? It's just the red-throated loon. No worries." Xellos assured her.

"No. That was a warning cry. Something happened to scare the bird pretty badly... and if what I'm sensing is right... we may soon be dealing with a monster." Lorelei explained.

"Great... just what we need right now... oh man..." Xellos groaned.

* * *

Filia sat down, under the dense cover of another tree, sighing sadly. She still didn't know what she was going to tell Enrico. "This is all so confusing... as if the world being in danger wasn't enough... oh, why me?"

"Well, well, would you look at what we have here? A Golden Dragon. What, have your annoying comrades finally driven you away? I'm not surprised."

Filia snapped to attention and turned around. "V-Valgaav!" she gasped.

Valgaav sneered. "Yes, well, I'm glad that you know my name. And now that the introductions are out of the way, I'm here to-"

"OH VALGAAV~!"

"Wh-what?" The monster snapped to attention as he was quickly approached by Filia. At first he thought she was going to attack him, but when he felt himself drawn into a tight hug instead, he began to wonder what was going on.

_Note to Elmyria- the Golden Dragon has finally gone certifiably insane. _he thought to himself.

His first impulse was to blast her on the spot for it, but something deep down told him to think better of it. It felt odd having someone so close to him. He hadn't been hugged in, well, practically ever. Certainly not since he'd become a monster. It was so unfamiliar, and yet, with Filia next to him, it had an odd sense of familiarity. He reached out and firmly, but gently, wrenched himself out of her grip and held her at an arm's length, staring her clearly in the face.

"Certainly something must be wrong- people don't tend to go up and hug their enemies for no reason. What on earth has happened to you?"

Filia noted the underlying tone of concern in his harshly spoken words. "Oh, Valgaav, you really _do_ care!" she sobbed, hugging him again.

At this point, Valgaav had taken about enough. He shoved Filia away quickly. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? JUST TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG!"

Filia regained her balance and stared at Valgaav, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh Valgaav... I just... just need someone to talk to..."

_And she chooses me? _Valgaav thought to himself. _Of all the people out there? She must be really desperate, the poor dragon. No doubt those friends of hers have driven her insane. The little bratty monster and that annoying blonde human are a pair anyone would have trouble tolerating. I certainly can't waste my time listening to her sob story... But wait! _Valgaav paused for a moment, thinking it over. _If I make her think I care about her, then perhaps she'd be willing to share some important information. I could gain a strategic advantage in this situation..._

"Here... Filia..." Valgaav sighed, grabbing her hand. Filia looked up at him in surprise. "Perhaps we could go somewhere to get out of this rain, and then we can talk. Is that okay?"

Filia's eyes sparkled up at him. "Oh Valgaav... thank you... I knew that deep down somewhere, you really remembered!"

"R-remembered...?" Valgaav murmured. "I'm not sure I understand... but that doesn't matter. Let's talk..." He grinned mischievously. If Elmyria could see him now, she'd certainly be impressed.

* * *

(A/N: Watch out Filia~! Valgaav's tricking you! And poor Xellos and Lorelei haven't the slightest idea what's going on... *sigh* Saving the world can never be easy, can it?)


	25. 25: A Few Simple Questions

Ah, chapter 25! This one is a long one... I meant for it to be shorter, but I just had too much fun with it... I was laughing so hard while I wrote this... I'm sure that, if Elmyria didn't hate me before, she certainly hates me now. XD Anyways, I don't own the Slayers characters, I'm just having fun messing with them... Enjoy the story!

* * *

**25- A Few Simple Questions**

"Um... Lina...?"

"Yeah, Gourry, what's up?" Lina asked.

"Well... Inspector John is still following us..."

Lina shot a glance behind them at Inspector Wizer, who thought that he was cleverly concealed in the bushes. He hadn't even noticed that Lina and her family knew exactly where he was.

"Just ignore him. He isn't bothering us right now, so I'm hoping that if we leave him alone, he'll go away."

"I see..." Gourry nodded. "Well... I certainly hope so..."

Wizer watched them from afar. "This is perfect! They don't even notice that I'm following them! Now I'll be able to collect the required information on Lina Inverse and her little companion. He might not be any actual relation to her, but she's still raising him, and that could mean trouble... Now I just have to stay hidden and keep my eyes open..."

"Lina..." Zara whispered. "Mister Inspector Wizer is scaring me. He's just sitting in that bush talking to himself."

"Just ignore him. Don't let it bother you." Lina replied.

"I can't help it. He's just so strange..." Zara sighed.

"Lina, you've been really good about all this." Gourry observed. "You haven't even shot any attacks at him. I'd think that you'd normally have blown him up by now- OW, OW!"

Lina stepped on Gourry's foot. Hard.

"Shut up, moron." she whispered harshly. "If I _could_, he'd be blasted halfway to the moon right now. He would have been yesterday."

Gourry caught the implication of the statement, and paused for a moment, trying to remember the date. "Oh, right."

"Yeah, 'oh, right' is correct." Lina growled back. "So keep your mouth _closed_."

"But Lina, what are you going to do if we get attacked by a monster?" Gourry asked.

"I've got weapons. I'm not helpless." Lina defended.

"Right, but a monster?"

"It's not a problem. Maybe I'll make Inspector John over there useful and use him as a human shield." Lina shrugged.

"Aw, I thought_ I_ was your human shield." Gourry sighed.

"You're still my favourite." Lina said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. She stopped suddenly. "Hey, you guys, this looks like..."

"Is this the cave we're looking for?" Zara questioned.

"I think so." Lina nodded.

"Why is it that all the relics seem to be hidden in caves? Why not ancient temples, or just random houses?" Gourry asked.

"Because caves are more fun. They make for a more interesting plot." Lina stated. "Besides, most of them were hidden where people weren't supposed to find them. You'd think that a giant temple would be a bit obvious, right?"

"That's true." Gourry nodded.

"Lina, that one relic on the island was hidden in a temple." Zara pointed out.

"That's true as well, though it was a completely deserted island." Lina nodded.

"So... do we just go in looking for it?" Gourry asked.

"I suppose so." Lina nodded.

"What about Mister Inspector Wizer? Do you think he'll follow us?" Zara asked.

"I hope he won't, but think he might." Lina sighed. "Honestly, though, we could use him." She turned around quickly to face the bushes where Wizer was hiding. "HEY! OLD GUY! GET OVER HERE!"

Wizer stood up quickly, looking around. "H-how on earth did you know I was there? It was such a clever hiding spot!"

"Are you serious? You really thought we couldn't see you? We've been staring right at you this whole time!" Lina exclaimed.

"R-really?" Wizer gasped. He pulled out a small notepad and scribbled some notes onto it. "I see... very interesting... so I was visible the whole time... thanks for that information..."

"JUST QUIT WRITING AND LISTEN TO US!"

"Lina, calm down, okay?" Gourry said, grabbing her by the shoulder.

"I can't calm down!" Lina growled in a harsh whisper. "This guy is so annoying! I don't think I've ever been so infuriated not to be able to use my magic..."

"Are you going to investigate that cave?" Wizer asked.

"No, we're just standing here discussing it and looking at it intently for no reason whatsoever." Lina replied, her voice filled with sarcasm. "YES, WE'RE LOOKING IN THIS CAVE!"

"Lina..." Gourry murmured.

"And what, might I ask, are you looking for?" Wizer continued.

"THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NONE-" Lina felt Gourry grab her shoulder. "...of your business."

"Really? I see. I suppose that means that there's nothing for me to do but follow you and see for myself." Wizer said.

"Oh joy." Lina sighed.

* * *

Lina looked around the tight space of the cave. She held up a small lighting spell- that, at least, she could manage without much difficulty. "So, where do you guys think the relic might be hidden?"

"The most probable place would be the deepest recesses of the cave, where it is least likely to be discovered." Wizer said.

"Shut up, _John!_ I didn't ask you!" Lina spat.

"Well, you used the term 'you guys', indicating that you would be referring to all of the males in the direct vicinity." the inspector defended.

"Alright,. let me rephrase that. GOURRY AND ZARA, where do you guys think the relic might be hidden?"

"I don't know." Gourry shrugged.

"No idea." Zara added. "Though I think I agree with Mister Inspector Wizer."

"Aha! See? The boy agrees with me!" Wizer exclaimed.

""Oh yeah, somebody ought to give you a prize." Lina sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Actually, I have won several prestigious awards for my impressive abilities, and-"

"I'm sorry I said anything..." Lina groaned.

"I remember the first time I ever won an award for investigative merit... I was 12 years old... certainly a proud moment- I succeeded in impressing Maira Ihara, who was a full two years older than myself..."

Lina sighed irritatedly, leaning against Gourry as Wizer continued on a rant about this 'Maira Ihara' person, who was apparently very attractive, but ended up marrying some architect and moving to Zoana.

"I want... to _hurt_ him..." Lina growled under her breath.

"Just stay calm. Try to ignore him. That's what I've been doing." Gourry advised.

"So you haven't heard anything that he's said just now?" Lina asked curiously.

"He's been talking just now?" Gourry asked.

Lina laughed. "You're amazing, Gourry. Absolutely amazing. It's no trouble ignoring him with you around."

"Really?" Gourry smiled mischievously. "Well, I'm glad that you find me so distracting..."

Lina blushed. "Don't press your luck." she advised. "Anyway, what about that kid of ours?"

"Huh?" It was Gourry's turn to blush. "What?"

"I mean Zara- where is he?" Lina clarified. "What were you thinking?"

"N-nothing, I... uh... Zara is over there talking to Inspector John."

"Oh, he is, is he?" Lina questioned. "And just what are they talking about?" She turned around to catch the rest of their conversation.

"So you see, my boy, women like a man who are not afraid to show emotions and empathy- someone who can really feel for them, you know?"

"U-um... I suppose..." Zara stammered awkwardly. It was apparent that he had not been the one to start the conversation.

"Yes, yes. This is all very important, you know. You should pay attention. This 'Laura' that you mention, she sounds like quite a catch- wouldn't want her to get away, now would we?"

"Her name is_ Lorelei_. And she's not going anywhere." Zara corrected, sounding the slightest bit indignant.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing?" Lina asked. "Just yesterday you were trying to arrest this poor boy, and now you're giving him romantic advice? Who do you think you are? You are so messed up, I don't even know where to begin-"

"LINA!"

_CRASH!_

Lina Looked around, her head spinning, trying to figure out what was going on. She had been yelling at Wizer, and then there was an explosion, and...

"Lina, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah,... thanks to you, I guess." Lina replied, separating herself from Gourry's tight grasp. She had to give him credit- he could pull her out of harm's way before she even knew there was danger. "What the heck just happened?"

"I don't know... all of a sudden there was this explosion..." Gourry stammered, obviously very confused himself.

"Hmph, for a relatively dim-witted human, you're awfully quick on your feet."

Lina and Gourry stood up quickly. "Elmyria!" Lina growled.

"Well, I'm glad that, after all our conflicts, you are polite enough to remember my name." the monster said. "I suppose I should return the favour, Lina Inverse."

Gourry grabbed Lina protectively. "You stay away from her! What are you doing here anyway?"

Elyria scowled. "You have to ask?"

"You idiot!" Lina yelled. "She's here for the same reason we are!"

"Correct." Elmyria nodded. "So if we're both here for the same purpose, we're either allies or enemies. So, tell me, which is it?"

"Um... could we be allies? Pretty please?" Gourry asked innocently.

Elmyria glared at him. "Not likely. As if I'd team up with the likes of you. You and your little friends are even more annoying than Valgaav- which is certainly saying something."

"You, calling us annoying? Look who's talking!" Lina spat.

"Well, I can certainly say that I'm smarter than you are." Elmyria continued. "Though, when regarding the swordsman, I'd say that's not a hard feat."

"Hey! You take that back! Gourry's not that stupid! Just look how good he is at protecting me!" Lina yelled.

"Oh, come now." Elmyria chided. "Even animals are protective of their mates."

"That's different!" Lina exclaimed. "There's love involved too!"

Elmyria seemed to think this over for a second. "Hmm... I'll admit, I may have to give you that one. After all, with animals it's all about breeding the next generation. I suppose that's what makes humans so annoyingly difficult to deal with."

Gourry saw Lina flinch when Elmyria mentioned something about 'the next generation.' _Uh oh. _he thought. _Bad choice of words, at least after what happened yesterday. _Elmyria had gotten it right though- there was much more than that involved. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean that it was the _last _thing on his mind either...

Lina groaned. "Oh, come on! I had enough of this yesterday! Don't _you _start on this too!"

"...what?" Elmyria actually looked somewhat confused. "What are you talking about?"

Lina shook her head. "N-nothing! Let's just drop the argument and get to the point, okay?"

It was the closest thing to a smile they had seen on Elmyria's face. "Gladly." she agreed, pulling up her hands and beginning to materialise an attack. Gourry gasped, and grabbed Lina instinctively- without her magic, what were they supposed to do?

"YOU THERE! JUST WHO ARE YOU? WHAT'S YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO LINA INVERSE?"

Lina, Gourry, and Elmyria turned around at once. "Alright..." Lina murmured, pleased. "Leave it to Inspector _John _to be annoying right when we need him!"

"...and might I ask who you are?" Elmyria murmured.

Wizer pulled out his badge and shoved it in the monster's face. "I am Inspector Wizer Freion, of the Ruvinagald Kingdom, and under the authority of the Ruvinagald Intelligence Bureau, I command that you give me your full name and reason for your presence in this location!"

Elmyria regarded the strange man for a moment. "Hmm... a friend of Lina Inverse's, eh?" Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed Wizer in a headlock, holding a spell threateningly towards him.

"H-hey! What are you doing? For such an attractive woman, you're awfully strong. Ow, that hurts!" Wizer complained.

"Silence, you fool!" Elmyria commanded. "Now, Lina Inverse... I'd say we should make a deal... unless you want something to happen to this man."

Lina took one look at the situation and shrugged. "Nah, not really. You can do whatever you want with that guy. I don't really care."

"Wh-what?" Elmyria and Wizer both exclaimed at the same time.

"Lina, you're gonna abandon Mister Inspector Wizer?" Zara asked. Lina picked up the boy and held him close- something Zara didn't mind at all.

"Well, it's not like I'd go to any trouble to save his miserable life. In fact, it's kind of funny seeing him helpless against someone like this." Lina grinned. For once she was thankful for Elmyria- after all, the monster was making up for everything Lina had wanted to do to the inspector.

"So you don't care about this man in the least?" Elmyria sighed, tossing Wizer (rather violently) to the ground. "That won't work, then. Next time I should really be sure to take a hostage that I'm sure is close to you."

Lina could follow Elmyria's gaze easily, and knew that the monster's vision was fixed on the little boy in her arms. She clenched her teeth. "You're not serious..." Lina growled.

"Of course I'm serious." Elmyria said with a small grin. "Really, what better way to get to Lina Inverse than to go after her child?"

"None..." Lina murmured. Well, she took that back. They could go after _Gourry_- that would be an even more effective way to get to her- but certainly harder for the monster. Lina's expression took on a pained look. "It's just not fair..." she murmured. "Innocent kids shouldn't have to be put in danger just because of who their parents are... I know it's unavoidable, but it's still not fair..." Lina sighed sadly.

Gourry gasped. _Oh! So _that's _the reason..._

Elmyria stared at Lina for a moment, with a look that almost seemed like sympathy. Her expression clouded and she avoided eye contact with anyone. "Life... is rarely ever fair, Lina Inverse. I learned that a long time ago..."

Lina realised that she might actually feel a little bit bad for the monster. She remembered what Xellos had told them about Elmyria. She'd been forced to choose between her 'family' and the person she fell in love with. Forbidden love might be a great plot device in romance novels, but in real life, it wasn't fun at all. Then because of it, she was imprisoned as a traitor and forced to sit by and do nothing while Gaav was killed- and then her only remaining companion, Valgaav, was destroyed and reborn in the care of a Golden Dragon that Elmyria hadn't even met. Now she had a chance to get back everything that she had lost, and the one standing in her way was complaining about life not being fair.

_Wow, no wonder she hates me... _Lina thought.

"Life may not be fair, but that doesn't excuse the fact that you are dangerous and have no reservations about threatening people's lives! I cannot write that off so easily!" Wizer exclaimed. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and slapped them on her wrists.

"Wh-what are you doing? Get these off me right now, you filthy human!" Elmyria yelled. She tried to pull her hands out of them, but to no avail. "What the heck are these things made of? I can't retreat to the astral plane!"

Wizer grinned. "These are special handcuffs that I had on hand for Lina Inverse- just in case. They negate just about every kind of magic, and create a bond that holds the user and prevents them from escaping. Not too shabby, eh?"

"LET ME GO AT ONCE!" Elmyria's tone of voice made it clear that she was not playing around.

"Not until you provide me with some information, of course." Wizer replied. "I don't have an arrest warrant for you, so I doubt that I'll keep you in custody, however, I would like to know a bit more about why you're here and what you want."

"WHY YOU-" Elmyria growled, trying to break out of the handcuffs again, with no success.

Lina saw that the events seemed to be turning in their favour, and smiled. "You can continue with the questioning, Inspector. We're going a bit deeper into the cave- and don't worry, there's only one exit, so we're not going to get away or anything."

"Hold on a minute, Lina Inverse. I don't exactly trust you. I want to hear it from one of your companions."

"Don't worry. We'll make sure she doesn't run off." Gourry agreed.

"Alright, then." Wizer nodded, turning his attention back to Elmyria.

"H-hey! So you won't trust me, but you'll trust Gourry, who's more likely to completely forget what he just told you?"

"C'mon Lina, let's go." Gourry said, pulling Lina with him.

"Where do you think you're going? You're not going to leave me here with this... this... _man_!" Elmyria yelled.

"Sorry, but we've got better things to do." Lina said. "See ya later!"

"GET BACK HERE!" Elmyria yelled, but Lina, Gourry, and Zara had already rounded a corner and were out of sight.

* * *

As soon as Lina had made it around the corner, she jumped to the ground, getting as close as possible to the room of the cave that they had come from, without being visible to Wizer or Elmyria. "Gourry, Zara, you guys go further into the cave and find that relic- I'm going to stay here and see what Elmyria has to say to Wizer's questions."

"Alone?" Gourry asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"Well, someone needs to go with Zara." Lina defended. "Now be quiet- I'm trying to hear!" Lina's attention was turned back to the scene taking place just around the corner of the cave wall.

"And you're positive that if I answer these questions, you'll let me go and never bother me again?" Elmyria growled angrily.

"Of course. First of all, for official records, I need your full name and date of birth." Wizer replied.

"Don't you know it's impolite to ask a woman her age?" Elmyria said with a glare.

"I'm sorry, but it's official documents. I just need your birth date- I won't do the math, I assure you."

Elmyria gave Wizer a dirty look. "My name is Elmyria. I do not go by any other name. As for my birth date, it was so long ago I have forgotten it."

"You mean to say that you don't even celebrate your birthday? Or even keep up with how old you're getting?" Wizer asked.

"I have no need for that sort of thing." Elmyria scowled.

"Alright then..." Wizer said as he began to take notes. "First name- Elmyria, middle and last names- not applicable, birth date- unknown." He turned his attention back to the monster. "Now then, can I get your height?"

"Why does this matter?" Elmyria groaned.

"Just for official records, Miss Elmyria." Wizer replied.

"146 centimetres." Elmyria replied crossly.

Lina couldn't help cracking a smile. _Hah! I've got a whole centimetre on her! And she's the one calling me names?_

"And your race?" Wizer continued.

Elmyria gave him a dead serious look. "Mazoku." she declared simply.

Wizer paused for a moment. "Erm... right... anyway, I need your mother's maiden name."

"Her _what_?"

"Your mother's maiden name, Miss Elmyria."

Elmyria sighed. "If you're so determined, you can put 'Metallium."

"Alright then." Wizer nodded. "And your father's maiden name?"

"What kind of idiot wrote these questions?" Elmyria spat.

"Just answer it." Wizer replied.

"I don't have one." Elmyria stated. Wizer thought it over for a moment and looked as though he was about to say something, but his eyes glanced back to the word 'mazoku' written on his paper, and he simply continued to the next question.

"Alright, now I need your _brother's _maiden name."

"YOU HAVE _GOT_ TO BE KIDDING ME!"

"Brother's maiden name, Miss Elmyria." Wizer pressed, tapping his notepad with his pencil.

"I have two. Which one do you want?"

"That depends." Wizer said. "Are you on good terms with them?"

"One I am, one I am _not_." Elmyria replied.

"Then I'll take the one that you _are_ on good terms with." Wizer decided.

Elmyria sighed irritatedly. "Just put 'Valgaav."

"Alright then, 'Valgaav.' Now, how do you spell that?" Wizer asked.

"V-A-L-GAAV! NOW ARE WE DONE YET?"

"Oh, we're only getting started. That was just the preliminary write-up. We haven't even gotten to the questions yet." Wizer replied.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me..."

Lina couldn't help laughing a bit to herself. This was turning out to be a hilarious situation indeed!

"First of all, what are you doing here in the first place?" Wizer began.

"That's obvious. I want that relic that those other humans are after." Elmyria replied.

"The relic, eh? And what do you plan to do with this relic?"

Elmyria glared at Wizer. "I should have the right to keep that information undisclosed."

"You do have the right."Wizer shrugged. "But withholding information will only keep you chained up longer."

"Dang it, why must you be so difficult?" Elmyria cursed. "Never mind- I want the relic for my master."

"Oh? Who and where is this master?" Wizer questioned.

"I don't care how long you keep me chained up, I won't tell you who he is. That shouldn't be important to you anyway. Right now his spirit is trapped inside of a book." Elmyria said.

"A book, huh? How interesting. Where exactly did you get this book?" Wizer asked.

"I found it." Elmyria replied.

"Ah. So you stole it?"

"No! Of course not! The previous owner was already dead!" Elmyria defended.

"And who was the previous owner?"

"Someone by the name of Shichiro Hoseki." Elmyria replied.

"I see..." Wizer nodded, taking down more notes. "And what was your relation to this Mister Hoseki?"

"None! I didn't know him! Why should I? He was just some weak human anyway!" Elmyria spat angrily.

Lina gasped inwardly as she heard Elmyria's description. 'Weak,' and 'human' were two words that most certainly did NOT fit that particular person.

"Anyway, how did your master come to be trapped in that book to begin with?" Wizer continued.

"Hey, Lina! We're back! And we found-"

"Shhhh~!" Lina scolded, putting her hand over Gourry's mouth. "Be quiet! The questions are starting to get interesting! Give me that! I have an idea as to how we can avoid fighting her." Lina grabbed the small animal statue from Gourry and turned her attention back to the conversation between the inspector and the monster.

"Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure of all the details. He was trapped within the book when I found it." Elmyria responded.

"I see. So how do you know that it's your master in the book to begin with?" Wizer asked.

Elmyria shrank back slightly. "Wh-what kind of question is that? How dare you harbour doubts about my master's honesty? He says that he is my master, and I trust his word!"

"I see. For a monster, you are certainly a trusting soul. I take it you are quite attached to this master of yours?" Wizer questioned.

Elmyria coughed. "Erm, that is information I do not wish to disclose at this time."

"Fair enough." Wizer sighed. "I suppose that's all the questions that I need to ask you for now. I'm going to let you go, but only on the agreement that you will not attack me once you are free."

"I'll be glad enough to get away from you." Elmyria growled. "Anyway, I promise not to attack you."

"Good." Wizer nodded. He unlocked the handcuffs and immediately flinched, as if already preparing for an attack. Elmyria just stared at him.

"Are you really that untrusting of me? Honestly... I was raised never to lie. I wouldn't go back on my word, no matter how much I want to see you die a slow and painful death..." Elmyria's stern glare fell on Wizer, and he took another step back.

"Hey! Elmyria! Catch!"

Lina's voice alerted the monster, and she looked up just in time to catch a small object that had been tossed to her. She examined the figurine closely. "Th-this is..."

"That's the thing you were looking for, right?" Lina asked. "I figured that you've already been through so much today, there would be no need for us to fight you."

Elmyria looked curiously at Lina. "Your motives are questionable, but I can't argue with your actions. Farewell, Lina Inverse- at least for now. Remember that you still have something that I want. But I'll be back for that later..."

Gourry watched the monster disappear, and turned back to Lina. "_That _was your plan?"

"Hey, we didn't have to fight her." Lina defended. "And anyway, we got information, which is just as useful- maybe even more so. Some of the things she said have got me thinking..."

"Does that mean that I was actually helpful?" Wizer asked.

Lina sighed. "I suppose you were quite helpful... even if I don't want to admit it..."

"A wise thing to say, considering that I still have an arrest warrant for you." Wizer agreed.

"Look, Inspector, what do you say we make a deal?" Lina asked.

"A...a deal...?" Wizer questioned.

"Yes, a deal. You say that you're concerned about a possible threat to the Ruvinagald Kingdom, correct? Well how about this- you leave me and my family alone, and in exchange, we'll leave Ruvinagald alone."

Wizer looked at Lina in astonishment. "Wh-what? Could you run that by me one more time?"

Lina groaned. "Basically it's this. On your end of the deal, you leave us alone and stop bugging us. Got it?"

"And in exchange?" Wizer asked.

Lina glanced at Gourry and Zara. "In exchange, the three of us... and any _other _family that we might have... will stay away from the Ruvinagald Kingdom. Got that?" She noted with some satisfaction the way Gourry and Zara's faces had lit up when she'd mentioned 'other family.'

"I see... I think that seems like a fair trade. It's a win-win situation. You get off the hook- at least with Ruvinagald, and we get protected from... whatever dangers that you and your family cause." Wizer nodded.

"Right!" Lina grinned. "So how about it?"

Wizer sighed. "I suppose, as long as you keep your word. The moment you set foot on Ruvinagald territory, however, we will be free to convict you as we see fit."

"Alright!" Lina exclaimed. "What do you guys think? Our family doesn't really need to go to Ruvinagald anyway. Right?"

"R-right! Yes! Of course!" Gourry and Zara agreed.

"Then it's settled and Inspector Wizer doesn't have to follow us anymore!" Lina declared proudly. "Now, let's get moving! It's nearly dinnertime, and I'm starving!"

"We're right behind you!" Gourry nodded, following her closely.

"Hey, Lina," he whispered as they left the cave. "did you really mean what you said back there about 'other family?"

Lina shrugged. "I guess so. It's something to think about, at least. Just... not until we save the world. It really doesn't seem like a thing we should be discussing while our lives and the world itself are in possible danger. Right?"

Gourry laughed. "Right! That is _exactly _what I said!"

Lina gave him a puzzled look, trying to remember when he had talked about this particular topic. Never, at least that she could remember...

"Anyway, you're right. Let's focus on stopping Elmyria and Valgaav for now. I learned quite a bit, listening to Wizer's questions." Lina nodded. "I'm starting to get a few ideas... and none of them are good..."

* * *

(A/N: I got some inspiration from a few improvisations that some friends of mine did while acting in a play recently. It was so funny! XD)


	26. 26: It's Not A Trick! Is It?

Welcome to chapter 26! Whew, I was almost afraid I wouldn't make it in time! Anyway, I don't own the characters, I just like to use the protagonists to torture the antagonists! Haha~ Enjoy!

* * *

**26- It's not a trick! Is it?**

Valgaav listened in absolute disbelief as Filia poured out her story. He tried several times to interrupt, but had no success. It was very hard to get a word in edgewise with a someone who was as hysterical as Filia.

"And... and... I just don't know what to do!" Filia sobbed, leaning against Valgaav's shoulder for support.

Valgaav pushed her gently a small distance away from him. Even if she was really upset, she ought to have more respect for personal space.

"Well, this certainly is a dilemma, Miss Filia." he said, unsure of what else there was to say. "I... wish there was something I could do for you. It bothers me so much to see you like this..." _Because it's so annoying... _he finished to himself.

"Oh, Valgaav... thank you... I knew you _did_ care..." Filia murmured, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

_Again with the personal space... _Valgaav thought, trying to shake off the vaguely familiar feeling. "Erm, Filia..." he began again, managing to pull himself from her grasp. "I know this whole... _situation... _must be troubling for you. But isn't there a lot more at stake for you right now? After all, your goals are completely different from ours. You want to prevent the resurrection of Lord Gaav... right?"

"I suppose, if you put it that way... then yes. We do." Filia nodded.

Valgaav frowned. "Why?"

"Well, because... um... well..." Filia stammered. "Why do we want to prevent it?"

"You don't even know?" Valgaav asked.

"I... I guess it's because of the fact that we think he'll cause major destruction..."

Valgaav sighed. "He probably will. Your suspicions are justified. However..."

"However what?" Filia asked curiously.

"However..." Valgaav paused, suddenly realising that he didn't have much of an argument. The two of them simply had conflicting ideas. They wanted different things. And this made them disagree... so what was there to say in order to convince her? Perhaps he'd better try a more roundabout method.

"However... we don't have to be enemies, you know. We're trying to get the same thing, remember? You want the relic, I want the relic... we could very easily work together to find it, and once we do, we can decide in a civilised who should get it. No use being enemies until we need to be, right?" Valgaav tried his best to give a convincing smile.

"Valgaav, you're a genius!" Filia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. Her positive emotions caused Valgaav to step back a small distance, but he was certainly glad that he'd managed to convince her to help him.

"A genius? Really? I could get used to that! I certainly whish El would call me a genius sometimes..."

"El? As in Elmyria?" Filia questioned. "You like her an awful lot, don't you? What is she to you?"

The question seemed to take Valgaav by surprise, and he didn't seem to know how to answer it. He closed his eyes as if in deep thought. "I wouldn't deny that, despite her insensitive countenance, I quite enjoy her company... however, putting a label on our relationship is not so easy..."

"You're not lovers, then?"

"No, no, no." Valgaav laughed. "That's not quite it. Certainly I might not have minded, had the circumstances been different, but I had prior knowledge, even before the first time I set eyes on her, that her heart belonged to someone else, and any such emotions on my part would certainly never be returned."

Filia seemed to sadden. "Oh, so you were forced to keep yourself from loving her? How terrible."

"Miss Filia, I think you're taking this the wrong way." Valgaav explained. "I never did anything of the sort. We've always been comrades, working together for the same purpose, and helping each other out. There is most certainly a strong bond there, though it's really not... well, it isn't... um, it's kind of hard to..."

_Geez, _Valgaav groaned. _How the heck did we get stuck talking about this! This conversation has veered way off-subject! Why do women always have to make things complicated? Always wanting to _talk _about things! _He sighed- why on earth did they have to discuss it? Why couldn't they just understand the unspoken relationship between them- he cared for Elmyria, Elmyria cared for him, they worked together and understood each other, but they weren't _in love_, so to speak. It wasn't complicated unless you made it complicated. And Filia was making it complicated!

"So... she's more like a sister?" Filia asked after a moment of thought.

"YES! EXACTLY!" Valgaav exclaimed, glad that he finally had a name for it- and hoping that Filia would be satisfied now. Gosh, this was such a waste of time.

"I see... that's kind of sweet." Filia nodded.

"Yes, it is. So now- continuing on with what we were trying to talk about-"

"Valgaav, do you remember your mother? Your _real_ mother?" Filia asked.

The monster groaned inwardly. _AGAIN with the feelings? I swear, if she asks me to label a relationship one more time..._

"I can think back that far, but it's difficult, and I don't remember it very clearly." Valgaav explained. "I really don't remember any of my family before Lord Gaav rescued me... but..." He paused for a moment. "Somewhere, in what seems almost like my subconscious memory, I can remember a mother... I really don't know what she looked like, or who she was, but I know she was always kind- always taking care of me. She was so loving, that, as a monster, it almost pains me to remember... but it doesn't. And for the oddest reason, those memories seem more vivid than a lot of my others... as if it somehow happened even more recently... though that can't be it, right?"

Filia gasped. _He remembers... oh, I knew he remembered... _

"I'm sorry to ramble on like that- we really have much more important things to see to!" Valgaav exclaimed, realising with embarrassment how much he'd talked just now. "Filia? Are you okay?"

"Oh Valgaav..." Filia murmured. "Thank you... for telling me this..."

"Uh, you're welcome..." Valgaav murmured, looking very confused. "So, now that we're FINISHED talking about all the feelings and such, are we finally going to get serious about finding this relic?"

"Oh, yes! I'm sorry! Of course!" Filia exclaimed. Inside though, she was celebrating. _He remembers! He really remembers~! He may not recognise me, but he remembers just a little bit, and that's all that matters!_

* * *

"We're getting close- I can tell. Those relics give off a type of magical aura that allows me to track them if they're nearby." Valgaav explained, pulling Filia along with him.

"Valgaav, I've been wondering..." Filia began.

"What is it?" Valgaav asked. _Please, oh please don't ask me anything regarding my feelings. I don't think I'll be able to keep up this nice pretence if you do..._

"Where... did you find that crystal that has Gaav's spirit in it?"

"Where did we find it?" Valgaav gasped. "Well... to tell the truth, El had it when she found me... I couldn't remember a lot of what had happened, but she told me... and Lord Gaav told me... that the book containing the crystal had been previously in the possession of a jeweller by the name of Shichiro Hoseki."

"...Shichiro..." Filia gasped. "...and how did '_Shichiro_' get the book...?"

"I'm not sure... Lord Gaav never fully explained it, to tell the truth. I don't know anything else." Valgaav shrugged. "Tell me, Filia, what exactly are you planning to do, anyway? Obviously you want to stop us somehow. What is your goal?"

There was an evident rustling and a couple of low gasps from the bushes behind them, as if something was moving around- though Valgaav and Filia ignored it.

"Our goal...? Well, we want to stop you... and... well... um... I don't really know..." Filia stammered.

"You don't know, huh? I see..." Valgaav sighed. "Oh well..." _So much for that idea. She doesn't seem to know anything... _

"Ah, here we are." Valgaav said. Filia looked up to see a large cliff face in front of them.

"This is... just a cliff..." Filia murmured. "What is here anyway?"

"Look closer." Valgaav instructed. "See how this rock here is just a slightly different colour than the surrounding rock? It's a very subtle difference, but you can just barely make it out."

"You mean, there's something behind it...?" Filia gasped.

"I'd say so. Now we've just got to get in there and find out." Valgaav nodded. "Stand back."

Filia took a step back, watching as Valgaav began to fire a large spell at the rock face. Suddenly, she heard a voice whispering her name.

"Filia! Hey! Over here!"

Filia felt herself grabbed by the side of her dress and pulled into the bushes. She gasped. "Wh-wha...? Enrico? Lorelei? What are you-"

"Shhhh!" Xellos hissed. "Be quiet! What in the world do you think you're doing?"

"I-I'm helping find the relic!" Filia stammered.

"Helping _Valgaav_?" Xellos questioned. "Whose side are you on?"

"Valgaav and I are working together for the moment." Filia defended. "He said that we shouldn't be enemies longer than necessary. We're going to find the relic together."

"And then what?" Lorelei asked sceptically.

"Th-then we'll decide in a civil manner what to do with it." Filia answered.

"Heh, more like Valgaav will take it for himself. He's tricking you, Filia? Don't you see? He's preying on your emotions." Xellos said.

"N-no! He can't be! He wouldn't! He does remember me! I know he does!"

"Watch. The moment you two get that relic, he's going to take off with it- he might even attack you in the process!" Lorelei said.

"N-no! No! You're wrong!" Filia responded.

"Filia, we're just trying to help..." Xellos began.

"Well you need to stop helping! I wasn't ready to talk to you again anyway!" Filia exclaimed, running away.

"Filia!" Lorelei called.

Filia ran back to where Valgaav had just managed to break through the rock wall to reveal a passage into the cliff. "Filia, where did you go?" he asked suspiciously.

"Um... there was... something in those bushes... I just wanted to make sure we weren't being... spied on or anything..." Filia murmured.

"And...?"

"It's nothing to worry about." Filia said.

"Good." Valgaav nodded. "Then let's go."

"Should we follow them?" Lorelei asked.

"Yes. For Filia's sake, we can't let Valgaav take advantage of her. Did you hear his question? He's trying to use her to get information. A dirty trick, to be sure." Xellos replied.

Right..." Lorelei sighed. "Poor Filia... I'm afraid she's going to get her heart broken..."

* * *

Filia and Valgaav made their way thought the passages in the cliff. "Do you think the relic will be guarded?" Filia asked.

"It shouldn't be. After all, this cave is enough of a hiding place. I don't see why they would need to have something guarding it." Valgaav replied. He and Filia stepped out into a larger part of the cave, where the tunnel opened up into a larger room. "See? Nothing to be afraid of." Valgaav pointed to the small figurine displayed on a pedestal in the middle of the chamber.

"Yes... I see..." Filia nodded. She began to reach for the relic, but Valgaav grabbed it before she could get to it. "V-Valgaav? What are you doing?" she gasped.

Valgaav sneered. "Leaving." he declared. "Thanks for the help. I probably could have done it without you, but let's now dwell on the negative things, shall we?"

"Y-you're just leaving? I thought we were going to talk this over!" Filia yelled.

"Talk it over? What is there to talk over? This is mine now!" Valgaav laughed.

"B-but you said we shouldn't be enemies-"

"I lied!" Valgaav exclaimed. "I just wanted to get some information out of you- information that you apparently didn't have. What a shame. And I had to play along with your nonsensical ramblings..." he sighed.

"N-no... No! Stop! I thought that you... that you really..." Filia stammered.

"That I really enjoyed hanging around you? Don't be daft, Filia!" Valgaav laughed. "I've got much better things to do with my time! So, if you'll excuse me..."

"Not so fast! You're not going anywhere!"

Valgaav was taken by surprise as a small monster suddenly appeared behind him, grabbing him in a headlock and shoving a metal spearpoint towards him.

"Oh, it's you, is it?" Valgaav asked, glaring at Lorelei. "That's a lovely little toy you have there. But I think I prefer what I already have, thank you very much."

"H-hey!" Lorelei gasped as Valgaav disappeared from her grasp. She waited for him to reappear nearby to taunt her again, but he didn't.

"Dang it! He ditched us!" Lorelei cursed.

"I expected as much. This is certainly troublesome..." Xellos sighed, joining Lorelei.

"V-Valgaav..." Filia murmured sadly. Xellos and Lorelei turned to look at her.

"Uh... I'd really hate to say 'we told you so'... uh, so would 'I'm so sorry' work?" Lorelei asked, a look of pure sympathy on her face. She offered the Golden Dragon a hug, which Filia gratefully accepted.

Xellos watched, a small smile on his face despite the circumstances. With Zara's influence, Lorelei had become quite good a consoling people. Perhaps she could take it up as a hobby- it would be a great way to find a lot of negative emotions, for sure.

"I... I just wanted... to help him... doesn't he see... how much I care about him...?" Filia sobbed into Lorelei's shoulder.

"Shhhh, it's okay." Lorelei murmured. She wasn't sure what to say beyond that- truthfully, being so nice when Zara wasn't around was not something she was used to. But she felt so close to Filia, that she wanted to make sure that the dragon was not hurt too badly. If Filia was going to be upset, it should be Xellos and herself doing the upsetting, and no one else! Curse that Valgaav for picking on their dragon!

"So... shall we head back and have some tea, perhaps? Tea would make you feel better, wouldn't it?" Xellos began.

"Tea... sounds good right about now..." Filia murmured, looking up at him.

* * *

Filia sat, sipping tea, huddling around the makeshift campfire that the group had constructed toward the front of the tunnel's entrance. They might not have gotten the relic that they wanted, but they certainly could make use of the shelter that the manmade cave provided. Night had fallen, and the change in temperature had turned the rain into an icy rain-snow mixture. They all took comfort in the glow of the fire, though the only one really affected by the cold was Xellos- and certainly he'd never admit to being cold! Lorelei had managed to find an extra blanket in addition to the ones that they had, and insisted that Xellos make use of it, not wanting his pride to cause physical harm to his human body.

Filia looked up from her tea thoughtfully. "Mister Enrico... I've thought about what you tried to tell me today... and I need to respond... so..."

"Ah, Filia. I was meaning to talk to you about that. I'm afraid that there might have been a misunderstanding..." he paused, realising that she was still using the name 'Enrico.' "No, I'm sure there was a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding? I'm sorry... I don't want to hurt you or anything... but honestly, I have to say that I can't return your feelings. I'm so sorry Mister Enrico..." Filia murmured, choking on some of the words.

"F-feelings? What?" Xellos gasped.

"Well... you see, I can't really return them, because I already love- er, sort of, someone else. It's nothing about you really. You're a great guy. There's just someone else, and... well..." Filia sighed, not wanting to make the situation difficult.

"W-wait..." Xellos began. "So you thought, that when I was trying to talk to you, I was going to confess my love? N-no way! That wasn't it at all!"

Filia's face turned a shade of red that rivalled Lina's hair. "Wh-what? Really? Oh, Enrico, I'm so sorry! I just though... I mean... you just..."

"So there's someone you like, huh?" Lorelei asked, grinning. "Might I inquire more about that?"

"Th-that is... well..." Filia stammered, still blushing. She sighed. "If you must know... it... it's Xellos. That's the reason I was afraid that Enrico was going to tell me that he liked me- because I already like Xellos." Filia paused. "Oh, wait! If that wasn't what you were going to tell me, then what was it? I'm sorry I misunderstood!"

"What... was I going to tell you...?" Xellos began. "Um... well... erm..." He and Lorelei exchanged an 'Oh-crap-what-do-we-tell-her-now?' look.

"He was actually going to tell you just the opposite of what you thought!" Lorelei chimed in. "That he was afraid that you might have some sort of crush on him, and didn't want you falling for 'Enrico! Isn't that right?" The small monster offered an awkward smile toward her mentor, who nodded his approval.

"Y-yes! That's right!" Xellos said. "That was all I wanted to say! And now we have this all figured out! Wonderful!"

"Oh, thank you for telling me, Enrico. I'm so glad..." Filia murmured, feeling a lot better about the situation. "To tell the truth, I'm really quite tired now. Good night you two. And thanks."

"Thanks for what?" Lorelei asked.

"For warning me. I should have listened to you."

Xellos sighed. "I just wish we _hadn't_ been right."

* * *

"Well... we couldn't tell her..." Lorelei sighed, glancing at Filia, who was already fast asleep.

"After what she just said? Of course not! That would be too awkward!" Xellos agreed.

"Dang it! This stinks! I can't believe it!" Lorelei cursed. "After all that happened, she still doesn't know who you are! I hate it, but I don't want to upset Filia more than she is already... what happened with Valgaav today had to be hard on her..."

"Oh, most certainly." Xellos nodded. "But seriously, though. Why in the world would she decide that she's in love with _me_?"

"That's a good question. There is no reason." Lorelei responded.

"Lorelei darling, that was a rhetorical question that really did not need an answer." Xellos explained, somewhat annoyed.

"I'm just being serious." Lorelei defended. "After all, she has every reason to hate you. You torture her, for pete's sake! I mean, for her last birthday you gave her a honey badger!"

"She thought it was cute at first." Xellos pointed out.

"Yeah, until it tried to _kill her_." Lorelei spat. "And what about that time that you let those two Alaskan snow snakes breed in her icebox?"

"Now _that one_ was an honest mistake." Xellos exclaimed. "I was nearly positive that they were both male!"

"How exactly do you determine the gender of a snake?" Lorelei asked sceptically.

"Well, very carefully, of course." Xellos answered.

Lorelei sighed. "Ha ha, very funny, Xellos. The only person who was happy in that situation was Zara, since, as he put it '_Coluber glacies _is an endangered species, and you managed to recreate its optimum breeding habitat in order to help repopulate.' Or something intelligent like that. You know how Zara is."

"The boy is too smart for his own good. He'll keep Miss Lina and Mister Gourry on their toes for a while, that's for sure." Xellos nodded.

"Certainly." Lorelei nodded, a slight smile on her face. "You tired?"

"Is it that apparent? Goodness, I need to get back to being a monster as soon as possible. This is crazy." Xellos sighed, yawning. "Well, I suppose this is goodnight, Lorelei dear."

"G'night Xellos." Lorelei murmured, leaning against the rock wall of the tunnel, watching her two sleeping friends.

* * *

(A/N: Ooh, honey badgers and Alaskan snow snakes! Those are some scary critters! I wonder who would win in a fight between them... O.O)


	27. 27: Ancient Relics, Ancient Legends

(A/N: Hello there! Wow! Are we really this far into the story? Thanks so much if you've read this far! Really! Usually I save all my comments for after the chapter, but this chapter requires a bit of an introduction. I've done some research, and there is not much information about the creation of the Dark Lords- so I came up with some Mazoku history of my own, which ties in with the story. I've looked it over many times, but if there are any problems with it, do let me know right away! Anyhow, onward with the story! Fast-forward a few days- everyone is back together, and the blue moon is tomorrow night! Gasp! And... curtain!)

* * *

**27- Ancient Relics, Ancient Legends**

"You didn't manage to get any?" Lina gasped. "Wow, Enrico and Lorelei, you're so useless. Filia, I'm sorry you had to be put in a group with them."

"H-hey now!" Lorelei yelled.

"That's quite rude, Miss Lina!" Xellos agreed.

"Yes, I have to agree with them! We did run into some... challenges..." Filia nodded.

"Challenges?" Lina asked. "Oh like we didn't? I had to put up with some crazy inspector dude following me around, trying to determine whether my son was a threat to national security, AND I had to disguise myself and pretend to be... well, someone that I wasn't... and got chased around by some crazy fangirl- and you talk about challenges?"

Gourry grabbed Lina to keep her from lashing out at the group with the fireball that she had already materialized threateningly in her hand. "Well, uh, I'm sure that they had their fair share of problems as well, Lina." he said.

"I'll say. Valgaav is a tough opponent, to be sure." Xellos nodded.

"Not as bad as Elmyria! That's who WE had to put up with!" Lina defended.

"We didn't see any monsters, to tell the truth." Amelia said. "Just a few demons... and a chimera..."

"I see..." Lina sighed. "Well, I guess that's what we were going for when we split up, after all. Those monsters may be able to teleport, but they can't be in two places at once. You guys managed to get two of those relic things, right?"

"That's right." Zelgadis nodded.

"So we have three in all... but is that enough?" Filia asked.

"Filia dear, having just _one_ would be enough." Xellos said. "Elmyria and Valgaav need all nine of them to revive Lord Gaav, and thus the more we have, the less they have."

"But they're going to want them back... which means we'll probably be attacked again..." Filia sighed.

"Why can't we just hide them until the blue moon is over? Then they'll be useless." Zara suggested.

"A deceptively good idea, Zara..." Lina began."..but there will be another one in two or three years... and judging by these monsters' attitudes, I doubt that they'd have any problems waiting that long..."

"Indeed. It would probably vex them greatly, but they'd be patient." Xellos agreed. "Especially Lord Gaav."

"Speaking of which..." Lina continued. "...I noticed something odd... and I wanted to ask you... I've been doing a lot of thinking lately..."

"As have I, Miss Lina." Xellos agreed. "Perhaps we should all find a good place to sit down and sort out our thoughts."

"That does sound like a good idea." Lina nodded.

* * *

"So what is it that you've noticed, Miss Lina?" Amelia asked.

"Well... the thing is... we asked Elmyria where she and Valgaav found that crystal that had Gaav's spirit trapped inside of it... and apparently it was Hellmaster Phibrizzo's doing- no surprise there, huh?" Lina asked.

"No surprise at all..." Zelgadis nodded. "Especially since it was Phibrizzo who killed Gaav in the first place."

"Filia got that information out of Valgaav too." Xellos said. "Only, he apparently talked about the crystal being found and taken care of by Lord Hellmaster's fake persona, 'Shichiro.' He never once called Lord Hellmaster by name."

"That's what I was getting at as well." Lina said. "Elmyria even went so far as to call 'Shichiro' a weak human. That says a lot, doesn't it?"

"So you mean, she doesn't know that Phibrizzo was responsible for caring for the crystal with Gaav's spirit?" Amelia gasped.

"And neither does Valgaav." Lorelei agreed.

"Which poses a very puzzling question." Lina nodded.

"Why didn't Gaav tell them about Phibrizzo?" Zelgadis finished.

The group glanced at each other, all wondering the same thing. Lina was the first to speak up. "I've come up with three possibilities as to why Gaav wouldn't tell them the truth."

"Care to enlighten us on them, Miss Lina?" Xellos asked.

"Well, the first thought was that maybe Gaav doesn't even know." Lina said.

"How would he NOT know?" Gourry asked.

"Well, we've got to remember that this is Phibrizzo we're talking about- a master of disguises." Zel pointed out.

"Zel has a good point, but I also find this unlikely. It would be much more advantageous for Phibrizzo if his identity was known to Gaav. He'd have the element of intimidation. So basically that option is out. My second thought is that, maybe he doesn't _want _Elmyria and Valgaav to know."

"Why _wouldn't_ he want them to know? They're his faithful servants, after all." Amelia asked.

"Another good point." Lina nodded. "So that idea is hard to accept. There's really no plausible reason that Gaav _wouldn't _want Elmyria and Valgaav to know."

"At least that we know of." Zelgadis pointed out.

"Right... well I had a third option as well." Lina continued.

"What's that?" Lorelei asked.

"Maybe Gaav's not telling them... because he's being _forced _into silence..."

"Forced into silence? By who?" Filia gasped.

"Who do you think?" Xellos asked. "Hellmaster Phibrizzo, of course."

"But why would he feel threatened by anything Phibrizzo asked him to do?" Zelgadis asked. "He's dead now. Lina killed him."

"Well... that's something I've been thinking about too..." Lina murmured. "And I came up with a fourth possibility of why Elmyria and Valgaav know nothing about Phibrizzo's influence."

"...And that is?" Amelia asked.

Lina sighed. "Maybe... just maybe... it's not even Gaav who's in that crystal at all..."

"_What_?"

"What?"

"WHAT?"

The entire group looked at Lina with shocked expressions. "A-are you serious?" Zelgadis gasped.

"But Lina, if it's not Gaav who's in that crystal, then who would it be?" Gourry asked.

"YOU IDIOT! HELLMASTER PHIBRIZZO!" Lina yelled, whacking her companion over the head. "Maybe he's actually the one inside the crystal, and is spouting a bunch of lies in order to trick Elmyria and Valgaav."

"Well, I have to admit, that makes sense- considering that Phibrizzo always liked crazy, intricate plans like this." Zelgadis admitted.

"This thought crossed my mind as well." Xellos nodded. "But I had to ask myself- is it really possible that Lord Hellmaster could have pulled this off?"

"What do you mean?" Filia asked.

"I mean... Valgaav and El-chan were some of Lord Gaav's most devoted servants and knew him incredibly well. For Lord Hellmaster to trick them into believing that he was Gaav would be a great feat, to be sure." Xellos said.

"Yeah... that's true..." Lina murmured. "But, repeating what Zel said, Phibrizzo_ is_ the master of disguises..."

"It makes me wonder, though... perhaps Gaav is trapped in the crystal... but he's not alone." Xellos contemplated.

"Not alone...?" Zara gasped.

"I'm thinking that, perhaps it's similar to the way Rezo was trapped in the Hellmaster's jar, but the piece of Shabranigdo's spirit was trapped with him. It could be that Hellmaster Phibrizzo's spirit is hiding in the crystal as well, waiting to be revived with the Demon Dragon King."

"That would be... terrible..." Lina choked, suddenly looking a lot more worried.

"Lina, you okay?" Gourry asked, putting his arms around her.

"N-no... not if Phibrizzo could possibly be revived... th-that _can't _happen..."

"Miss Lina, this is no time to be getting scared. We have a real problem on our hands." Xellos said. "If Elmyria and Valgaav might accidentally revive Hellmaster Phibrizzo without knowing it-"

"Geez! This has gotten so confusing!" Lorelei complained. "And what's up with these relics anyway? Why can't we just destroy them and be done with it?"

"Oh, believe me, we've _tried_." Zelgadis said.

"Yeah, they're impossible to get break. Even for Zelgadis." Amelia agreed. "We've tried all kinds of spells against them, and thrown them off all kinds of things..."

"Amelia did the throwing." Zelgadis defended.

"Well, you can't expect Shabranigdo to have made them easy to get rid of." Xellos explained. "After they're very, very old. Older than most of the Dark Lords."

"R-really? They're that old?" Lina gasped.

"Yes. In fact, they date back as far as one of the monster race's oldest legends." he nodded.

"The monsters have legends?" Zelgadis asked.

"Well, of course. They have to keep up with their history, of course. The dragon race has legends as well, right Filia?"

"Y-yes, of course we do." Filia nodded. "But I never really thought about monsters like that. What kind of legend is it?"

"This particular one is about the creation of the power balance between the current Dark Lords." Xellos explained.

"Current Dark Lords? What does that mean?" Lina asked.

"Well... erm... that's a long, complicated story. Perhaps I should tell it..." Xellos began.

"Oh! Oh! I can tell it! I know this story!" Lorelei volunteered.

"You want to?" Xellos asked.

"It would be better to hear it from a monster, I suppose." Filia nodded. Xellos glanced away, but said nothing, just motioning toward Lorelei.

"Okay, so the story goes that, a really long-long-long time ago, sometime just after the Shinma War, there weren't the Dark Lords that exist today. Shabranigdo only had two main subordinates." Lorelei stared, going into story-telling mode. Her pride in her race had instilled in her a great love of their history, and she was ecstatic to be able to share it.

"Only two? They must have been really powerful." Zelgadis observed.

"They were. They were insanely powerful." Lorelei nodded.

"But just who were they?" Lina asked.

"One you know- that was Hellmaster Phibrizzo." Lorelei explained.

"Phibrizzo was one of the original two Dark Lords?" Lina gasped.

"Well, he was the oldest of the Dark Lords... well, aside from the other one found in the legend. But that one doesn't exist anymore." Xellos said.

"Right. There was also an older one, even more powerful than Lord Hellmaster... I think it was something like Pathosmaster..." Lorelei said, her voice trailing off.

"It _was _Pathosmaster." Xellos nodded.

"That's an interesting name." Zelgadis observed. "Feels like it ought to pertain to the storyline somehow..."

"Zelgadis!" Amelia whispered harshly.

"Alright, forget him. I want to know what happened to Phibrizzo! What happens to _him_ in the story?" Lina asked.

"Well, Pathosmaster did some bad stuff... and had to be destroyed by the Lord of Nightmares for it... anyway, that's a really long story, but after it all happened, Shabranigdo realised that having only two Dark Lords made them much too powerful. It was dangerous. So, he created four others to accompany Lord Hellmaster, and split Hellmaster's power between the five of them." Lorelei explained.

"So you're saying... that all the power possessed by the five Dark Lords, all used to belong to Phibrizzo?" Lina gasped.

"Yes. That's why he's always been so hostile towards the other Dark Lords. He felt that they stole his power, and he wanted it back." Xellos nodded.

"Oh man... to imagine that Phibrizzo was once that powerful..." Lina gasped.

"And that Pathosmaster guy was even more so. But luckily for us he's not around anymore." Lorelei said.

"Yeah, really lucky. I wonder if even Lina could defeat him..." Gourry replied.

"Well, at least we'll never have to find out." Lina sighed. "Phibrizzo was hard enough. And if there's a possibility that he could end up getting revived... this is not good..."

"Phibrizzo obviously wants to get back the power he used to have." Zelgadis said.

"Not only that, but he wants to create as much chaos as possible. Remember that he was the one to begin the War of the Monster's Fall, about a thousand years ago." Xellos said. "Creating chaos is how a Dark Lord gets their strength. That's what allowed the first Dark Lord to become so powerful that he had to be destroyed."

"Was that the only reason? Just because he was so powerful? He didn't do anything wrong!" Amelia, always the Justice-lover, exclaimed.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Amelia, but if acquiring immense power was the only thing that Pathosmaster did wrong, he'd probably still be around." Lorelei stated. "Shabranigdo was proud of him at first. But he became insane with his power and turned against his creator. He tried to destroy Shabranigdo- no, he almost _did _destroy Shabranigdo, and _would have _if the Lord of Nightmares hadn't stepped in and destroyed him before he could."

"His plan was, after all, to defeat Shabranigdo _and_ the Lord of Nightmares to become the most powerful being of all time. Something completely and totally impossible for any creature." Xellos said gravely. "Of course... you can see he failed miserably... that's why the Lord of Nightmares approved of Lord Hellmaster's powers being divided up- she didn't want any others making that mistake."

"Do you think... that Phibrizzo could be trying to follow in Pathosmaster's footsteps...?" Lina questioned.

"It's very likely. I'm guessing that, perhaps his plan is to get back all the power he once had by taking it from all the Dark Lords- something he would need Gaav for- and then using it to create chaos that would increase his power even more... until he was powerful enough to take on the Golden Lord herself..."

"Insane..." Lina murmured. "That's what it is! Insanity! It's not possible!"

"Well, I always find things easier to do if someone shows me how to do it. Do you think Phibrizzo might be using this Pathmaster guy as an example?" Gourry asked.

"It does seem likely that Lord Hellmaster could be using Pathosmaster's example to show him what to do- and what_ not_ to do, if he wanted to become the strongest being in existence."

"While it may be true that Phibrizzo could use this Dark-Lord-that-none-of-us-have-ever-heard-of as an example, there are some inconsistencies as well." Lina argued. "I mean, every time we've fought him, his main goal has been the destruction of the world. Why would he want to become the most powerful being in the world just to go and destroy it?"

"You make a good point." Xellos sighed. "It does seem odd that he would just randomly change intentions. Though, suppose there was some sort of underlying reason? It is possible... perhaps he figures that if he can become that powerful, then no one will be able to stop his plan- 'no one' referring to _you_, Miss Lina."

"He is going to do all that just for me? Oh, how thoughtful of him..." Lina groaned.

"So what have we figured out from this conversation?" Filia asked.

"Pretty much that, if Valgaav and Elmyria do revive whoever is in that crystal, we have absolutely no idea what is going to happen." Lina sighed.

"So we're back to square one?" Zelgadis asked.

"Looks like it." Amelia responded.

"Well, we've at least gotten some information on what might happen." Xellos said. "Gaav could be revived along with Hellmaster Phibrizzo... or it might not be Gaav at all, and just Phibrizzo playing tricks..."

"Hey, you guys! Wouldn't it be funny if it was really only Gaav in the crystal, and all this worrying about Phibrizzo would all be for nothing? That'd be hilarious!" Gourry laughed.

"That's a pretty warped sense of humour you've got there, Jellyfish-brain." Lina sighed. "But yeah, I guess it would be rather ironic to do all this worrying over Phibrizzo, and have nothing come of it."

"Well, it's getting late. Perhaps we should stop worrying for the moment?" Filia suggested.

"For the moment. Remember, tomorrow night is the blue moon. We can't waste any time." Xellos pointed out.

Amelia let out a loud gasp. "H-hey! You guys! Look!" she shrieked.

The entire group stood up, suddenly on high-alert. Zelgadis grabbed Amelia protectively. "What is it?" he demanded.

"Zelgadis! It's snowing!" Amelia exclaimed, a sense of awe in her voice.

Everyone sighed in relief. "Don't scare us like that." Zelgadis scolded.

"I'm sorry." Amelia apologised, leaning her head against his shoulder. "But it's just so beautiful. Isn't it romantic?"

"It's so pretty!" Zara agreed staring at the thickening flurries that were highlighted against the dark sky.

"Yeah, it is..." Gourry murmured, putting an arm around Lina.

"You'd never think that in another day, the whole world could be put in danger..." Lina sighed.

"That's true. I suppose nature has a way of lulling us into a false sense of security." Lorelei nodded.

"You can say that again." Zara agreed, staring dreamily at the weather. "Hey, maybe if it sticks, then we can have a snowball fight tomorrow!"

"Yeah! That sounds fun!" Lorelei laughed, giving her friend a high-five. She and Zara had hardly left each other's sides since the groups came together- much to Lina's annoyance. Still, it was nice to see them happy for the moment, knowing what was coming in the near future.

"Let's get some rest. I've got a feeling we'll need it." Lina said, and her friends quickly agreed with her.

* * *

Xellos wandered a short distance from the place where the group had settled down for the night. He was worried and restless. After all, Lord Beastmaster seemed insistent on cutting it close- there wasn't much time left at all, and he was still a human. He knew that he didn't have much reason to worry, since Lina and the others were quite able to take care of themselves. But the possibilities that they had discussed were disturbing, to say the least. Lord Hellmaster, following in Pathosmaster's steps? Could it be possible? Xellos shook his head to rid his mind of the thoughts. He could tell that it was giving his human body that same fear reaction that he hated so much. Would it kill Lord Beastmaster to work just a tad bit faster?

Filia had been almost asleep, when she heard 'Enrico' tell Lorelei- the only other person awake- that he was going for a quick walk. Curious, she got up and followed behind him. Going for a walk? In this weather? And without a jacket, even! Filia shook her head. That boy was so enigmatic. She'd always wondered so much about him. In fact, when she thought about it, 'Enrico' might not even be his real name! Wasn't it just something Gourry told her? After what she'd heard from 'Enrico' today, she was even more curious. He was incredibly well-versed in mazoku information. He had even been able to correct Lorelei, one of the proudest monsters Filia knew. Lorelei wouldn't let any normal human correct her with information about her race... so what did that mean? Could it be that Enrico really was...

Filia suddenly heard the boy gasp, and looked to see what it was. A chilling voice that Filia had never heard before called out to him.

"There you are. I finally found you."

Filia gasped herself, staring at the scene. The boy had been approached by a woman... no, a monster! And from the looks of it, not a happy monster. She expected 'Enrico' to be surprised and frightened, but what she heard him say to the monster shocked her more than she could have imagined.

"Hello again, Elmyria." the boy said calmly. "It's so nice to see you again."

* * *

(A/N: Uh oh! Elmyria appears! And to Xellos, of all people! It appears as though his little charade is finally going to come crashing down...)


	28. 28: A Fabrication Unravelled

(Oh boy! The chapter I've been waiting for since Xellos' alias 'Enrico' came into existence! Hehe, this was quite fun! Let's see how Filia reacts… onward with the story! As always, I do not own the characters, I just enjoy putting them through rough situations for my own twisted pleasure. Do enjoy!)

* * *

**28- A Fabrication Unravelled **

"Hello again, Elmyria." Xellos said. "It's so nice to see you again. Lovely weather we're having today, isn't it?" He stretched out his hand to catch a stray snowflake. "The cold is so much more interesting when you can really feel it, don't you think? Oh, I'm sorry, you wouldn't know. Would you?"

"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it. After all this time, everything I've put you through... you're still messing with things that don't concern you." Elmyria cursed.

"Things that don't concern me? Now El-chan, I think that's going a bit too far. After all, Lord Beastmaster actually told me to come and stop you. How's that for not concerning me?"

Elmyria scowled and grabbed Xellos by the throat. "Don't you dare call me 'El-chan', you hear me?"

"Aw, you're just so adorable when you're trying to be mean." Xellos choked, doing his best to smile. "You always were. Ever since you were small."

"I won't hesitate to kill you now. There is no time left. The blue moon is tomorrow night. I can't deal with you any longer." Elmyria grabbed him and dragged him along with her into the forest. Filia watched the scene in absolute horror, a flurry of swirling snowflakes falling around her as her mind raced.

'_Enrico' takes orders from Beastmaster? I knew he said that he worked with monsters, but he never said anything about... _She gasped again. _But wait! He said something about Elmyria when she was small... She's a monster! It would have been several hundred years ago when she was small! How old is he really...? And _what _is he really? I've got to follow him!_

Filia took off in the direction that Elmyria and Xellos had gone, her confused mind in as much of a flurry as the snow that was falling around her.

* * *

Filia managed to catch up to the pair, and hid just behind them, listening to the conversation, desperately searching for some way to help 'Enrico.'

Elmyria pinned Xellos up against a tree, holding him by the throat. "You're being such a pest." she growled.

"N-now El-chan, if you'll loosen up that killer grip of yours, I could explain just a bit..." Xellos choked.

"Explain what?" Elmyria snarled. "You're insane. I've taken away all your powers as a monster, and even destroyed your original body, leaving you as a defenceless human. And yet you still find the audacity to defy me. I cannot believe you."

Filia nearly choked. His powers as a monster? His original body? It... couldn't be... was he really...?

"So you heard that I was working against you?" Xellos asked.

"Valgaav told me. He mentioned something about a little blonde boy being a major annoyance. Of course, I didn't want to think it was you, but honestly, who else could it have been?" Elmyria said.

"Of course. No one else would be foolish enough to get themselves involved in your crazy schemes. However, I doubt you stand a chance against Miss Lina and her friends. You're not nearly as powerful as I was. I'm surprised you made it this far."

Elmyria narrowed her eyes. "It's all because of the power that Lord Gaav has given us."

"Gaav has given you power?" Xellos gasped.

"Of course! It was also his power that we used to revive Valgaav! It's a power so strong, you can't even come close!" Elmyria growled. "And now... I'll use it to kill you."

"Hold on a second- you're not really going to kill me, are you? I know Lord Beastmaster would be greatly displeased."

"What do I care how Zelas feels? She's not my master any more than you are!"

"She is and you know it." Xellos stated. "She is your master, your creator, as well as mine. High-ranking monsters can't just change their loyalties! Certainly it's not a problem for lower-ranking subordinates, but... for high-ranking monsters, such as lieutenant generals... and general-priests... it's not like that at all."

Filia's eyes widened. Did he just say something about a general-priest? No... that would mean that...

"I don't have to listen to anything you say." Elmyria growled. "You're really in no position to be arguing with me, _Xellos._"

"No..." Filia gasped, clenching her fist, feeling a mix of shock and rage, that quickly gave way to worry. After all, this was _Xellos_. And now it seemed that his life was in danger. "...no way..."

"I may be in no position to argue. But that doesn't stop me." Xellos replied.

"_Why_?" Elmyria snarled.

"That, my dear El-chan, is a secret." Xellos grinned.

"That's it, Xellos! I'm going to kill you here and now!" Elmyria yelled, creating a large attack in one hand, and pulling it back, ready to strike.

"NO! STOP! DON'T HURT HIM! PLEASE!"

Elmyria turned around in surprise, letting go of Xellos slightly. "Well now... if it isn't your little pet dragon..."

"Filia! What are you doing here? Get out of here now!" Xellos exclaimed.

"B-but Xellos... you never told me... you never said..."

Elmyria took a step towards Filia.

"Filia! I told you to leave! Quickly! Go!" Xellos pleaded.

"But..." Filia murmured. Suddenly, Elmyria reached out and grabbed Filia around the neck, putting her in a tight headlock.

"No! Elmyria! Let go of her!" Xellos yelled.

"I don't think so..." Elmyria murmured. Filia looked up at her with such fear, that it made the monster even more satisfied with herself.

"Tell me something, Xellos. Filia is a Golden Dragon, isn't she?" Elmyria began cryptically.

"Of course she is!" Xellos spat. "What of it?"

"Golden dragons..." Elmyria began. "...are the enemy of the monster race."

"Y-yes..." Xellos murmured. "Well, but, I mean, they are... well, it's really kind of... um..."

"No 'buts,' Xellos." Elmyria growled. "Filia is a Golden Dragon. The enemy of the monster race." She paused again, making sure her words had a significant enough emphasis. "...Lord Gaav was a traitor. Also an enemy of the monster race."

"E-Elmyria, you can't possibly be comparing Filia to the Demon Dragon King- you know that he has nothing to do with the dragon race, despite his name! I don't see what is so..." Xellos stopped for a moment, starting to realise what Elmyria might be leading the conversation up to. "El-chan... what are you getting at...?"

Elmyria looked at Xellos directly, her cold voice speaking with an accusing edge. "You love this dragon, don't you, Xellos?"

Filia gasped. She'd said something along those lines to 'Enrico,' not knowing who she was really talking to... he knew how _she_ felt. But how in the world was he going to respond? And just what kind of point was Elmyria making?

Xellos gave a slight forced laugh. "L-love? Are you crazy? Why on earth would I fall in love with _her_? Oh El-chan, you're so funny..."

Filia gasped as she felt Elmyria's grip on her throat grow tighter. She was beginning to have trouble breathing.

"Oh really? You don't? That's good." Elmyria smiled. This reaction caught Xellos off-guard.

"What do you mean, 'that's good?" he asked sceptically.

"If you really don't love her like you say, then you certainly won't mind if I were to kill her right now..."

Xellos' eyes widened as he saw Elmyria's grip become even tighter around Filia's neck. The dragon was beginning to panic, but her struggling wasn't doing much good.

"N-no! Elmyria! Stop this right now!" Xellos growled.

"Oh? You want me to stop? I thought you didn't love her. Am I wrong? Say it, Xellos. Admit it, and I'll let her go." Elmyria said, smiling. Filia was choking now, and beginning to fade in and out of consciousness. Luckily for Elmyria, she was putting up quite a fight- the scene was quite dramatic to see. Xellos watched in absolute horror, and suddenly realised that there might be no other choice...

"ALRIGHT! FINE! I LOVE HER! NOW LET HER GO!" he yelled loudly. Elmyria smiled, a satisfied expression on her face, allowing Filia to drop to the ground, out of her grip. The dragon gasped for a moment, catching her breath, her mind suddenly beginning to wrap around what Xellos had said.

"Are you happy now?" Xellos growled up at Elmyria, who was leaning over him, trapping him against the tree. There wasn't much height difference between them, but it was enough for Elmyria just to be a tiny bit taller.

"Not particularly. Tell me, Xellos, how are you and I different?"Elmyria gave him a very serious look.

"El-chan, I'm afraid don't quite know what you mean-"

"Of course you do! You always did! Xellos, what differentiates your association with this dragon from my association with Lord Gaav? Tell me, because I'm interested in knowing!" Elmyria spat.

Xellos sighed. How could he have not seen this coming? "The difference is, my dear El-chan, that I never blatantly disobeyed my master's orders. I've done everything that Lord Beastmaster has commanded me."

"You've twisted some of her orders around." Elmyria growled.

"Twisted, but not disobeyed, and certainly never betrayed her at any point in time." Xellos said.

"But she didn't approve of the two of you together, did she?" Elmyria demanded.

"Not very much, no. So I did my part to ensure that Filia would not interfere with any of my missions. My loyalty to my master must be put first, unfortunately."

Elmyria shook her head angrily. "Of all people, Xellos... I was sure at least _you _would have some sympathy for me! Back then when I came to you looking for someone to talk to, I only got a severe scolding! And now, when I thought maybe you'd actually understand my pain... well, I guess I was wrong, wasn't I? I felt foolish for even trusting you...and now, I'm finally going to finish you."

"This isn't right! Elmyria, if you do this, then you'll be just as bad as you say Xellos was! If you're looking for sympathy, don't go hurting others!" Filia yelled.

"An eye for an eye, Miss Filia." Elmyria growled.

"An eye for an eye makes everyone blind!" Filia shot back.

"Oh, going to be funny, are we? That's awfully bold of you, Miss Filia. I wouldn't be so impertinent if I was in your position, however. Things could not turn out so pretty."

"Filia... leave..." Xellos pleaded.

"I refuse to give up! Elmyria, you're being a real bully, you know that? If you want people to be nice to you, be nice to them!" Filia scolded.

"Don't you think I did? I spent all my time following their every command! And as soon as I step just slightly out of line, they practically disown me!"

"You blatantly betrayed us, Elmyria." Xellos choked. "Stepping slightly out of line? Well, that's an understatement, to be sure."

"It seems that there's a difference of opinion here... but perhaps if we stopped and put aside our differences, we could-" Filia began, but Elmyria cut her off with a powerful dark attack thrown her way. Filia gasped and jumped just out of its path, the magic singeing the edges of her hair slightly.

"FILIA!" Xellos yelled. "Elmyria! Stop attacking her right now!"

"Fine, then. I'll attack you instead." Elmyria growled. She shot a quick barrage of attacks at him, which he had no time to dodge. The magic scored several hits, causing him to fall to the ground. Filia shrieked with a stricken expression at the sight- he had a few cuts on his face, but his main concern was his right shoulder, which was quickly staining the white shirt a sickening red colour.

"You know... being a human... really hurts..." Xellos mumbled dizzily, just before completely losing consciousness.

"Xellos!" Filia gasped. She rushed toward the boy, but Elmyria blocked her path.

"You're not going anywhere." she growled.

"Elmyria, you're terrible. After all this, you still try to rationalise yourself as the victim in the situation? That's just... just..." Filia began. "It makes no sense!"

"I'll be the judge of what makes sense and what doesn't, Miss Filia." Elmyria growled, grabbing Filia by the collar of her shirt. Filia tried to get away, but Elmyria had a strong grip and wouldn't budge. Filia couldn't move. There didn't seem to be much that she could do but...

"Let go of the dragon, El."

Filia and Elmyria both stopped quickly, gasping. They both recognised that voice.

"Go away Valgaav." Elmyria spat.

Filia clenched her teeth, not knowing why Valgaav was suddenly defending her. He was certainly a monster, and a monster who tricked her, to top it off. Even before that incident, she had still thought of him as a son, but now he was just another enemy. Still... why was he suddenly coming to her defence?

"You're the one who wasn't supposed to go anywhere, El. Why did you run off? And create a bunch of violence, no less." Valgaav stared in the direction of Xellos, who was still unconscious. "We had orders to stay where we were. And as much as I'd like to assist you with the task at hand..." he continued, eyeing Filia. "...I'm afraid orders are orders. I was sent to retrieve you. Come on."

Elmyria sighed, sounding defeated. "Fine." She glared at Filia, and then in Xellos' direction. "This is not over. We still need those three relics that you possess by midnight tomorrow night. Trust that we're going to be there to get them. Farewell, for the moment." Elmyria growled, letting go of Filia. She submissively allowed Valgaav to take her by the arm and the pair disappeared.

As soon as Filia was let go, she immediately rushed to Xellos' side. "Xellos! Xellos! Wake up!"

There was no response from the boy, though the faint rasping of his breath made it apparent that he was alive. "Oh man..." Filia murmured. "I've got to take him back. Miss Lina and the others can use healing magic just like I can... they can help..." The dragon stood up, carrying the boy in her arms very carefully. She ran as fast as she could back to their campsite, a small layer of snow crunching underfoot. _Just hold on a little longer, Xellos. Don't worry. I'm going to save you! I promise! And... _Filia stared down at the boy for a moment and continued. ..._when you become a monster again... I'm going to _kill _you!_

* * *

"Miss Lina! Hey! You guys!" Filia yelled, making her way as fast as she could back to where they had set up came.

"Filia! What happened? We heard explosions! Are you okay?" Lina called.

"Me? I'm fine! But... Xellos is hurt!"

Lina glanced around at her friends. "Did she just say...?"

"I think she did." Zelgadis murmured. "Well, so much for '_Enrico_."

Amelia quickly joined Filia's side as she worked to heal the injuries Elmyria had inflicted, telling the story the whole time.

"Geez, that Elmyria really gets on my nerves. As if she's the only person who has family troubles. Really." Lina growled.

"You have to admit though, her situation is quite sad." Amelia pointed out.

"That still doesn't help the fact that she's being a major pain. And she said that she'd be back for the relics? Great. Just great..." Lina sighed, sounding irritated. "I was sleeping so well until she had to wake me up with all that noise. I'm not happy about that."

"...huh? ...What's going on...?"

"Xellos!" Filia gasped. "You're finally awake!" She helped the boy to sit up and leaned over him with a concerned expression.

"I suppose I am... what in the world did El-chan do?"

"Bothered us." Lina spat. "That's what she did. I should be in bed right now."

"She ought to know better. It's dangerous to deprive Lina of her sleep." Gourry added.

"_Really_ dangerous." Zara agreed.

"_Thanks a lot_, guys!" Lina groaned.

"Anyway, are you okay? Does anything hurt anymore?" Filia continued.

"I'm fine, I believe. Nothing really hurts..." Xellos murmured.

Filia nodded. "That's good."

_WHACK!_

"O-okay! _That_ hurts!" Xellos gasped.

"Hey, Filia, go easy on him." Lina advised.

"That _was_ easy! That was for deceiving me all this time!" Filia growled. "You deserve much more than a whack over the head! I PROMISE YOU, ONCE YOU BECOME A MONSTER AGAIN, I AM GOING TO PULL OUT MY MACE AND BEAT YOU UNTIL I KNOCK SOME SENSE INTO THAT OBVIOUSLY SENSELESS HEAD OF YOURS!" She paused for a long moment. "...You are going to go back to being a monster, right?"

"Don't doubt it for one second, Filia dear." Xellos grinned. "Lord Beastmaster is already working on that as we speak. I'll be back to normal before you know it. And, as for that punishment..." he eyed her mischievously. "...I look forward to it."

"You shouldn't!" Filia growled. "Honestly! I mean, 'Enrico?' Where did that come from?"

"It wasn't me. It was Gourry." Xellos defended.

"Gourry! How could you?" Filia gasped.

"I don't know..." Gourry defended. "He was just looking for names... and... well... that just came to mind... I've been told recently that I'm pretty good at making up names... so... I'm sorry..."

Filia buried her face in her hand. "No... just don't encourage Xellos anymore..." she looked up curiously. "And who exactly was it that said you were good with names?"

"Lina." Gourry answered.

"And you and Miss Lina were discussing names _because_..." Filia continued.

"N-no reason!" Lina interjected.

"I see..." Filia murmured. "Well, Xellos, you can be sure that I'm not going to be calling you 'Enrico' again." she said.

"Thank goodness." Xellos replied. "It's not the most pleasant of names to me after what has happened..."

"I don't know. I think I'll kind of miss the name 'Enrico." Zelgadis said.

"Yeah, it was kind of cute. I'll miss it as well." Amelia agreed.

"Me too." Lina added.

"Hey, Lina! I just got the greatest idea!" Gourry exclaimed. "If we ever have a son, we should name him 'Enrico,' in honour of Xellos!"

Lina paused to think it over, and began to laugh. "Gourry, you're a genius! That's hilarious! I love it! So then, whenever Xellos comes over to visit us..."

"Don't name your children_ that_!" Xellos spat.

Lina laughed again. "Don't get so worried, Xellos. I don't like you enough to name a _pet rock_ after you, much less my own child. So you don't have to be concerned over it."

"You'd better not..." Xellos sighed.

"Miss Lina, Mister Gourry, I didn't realise that you two were thinking about having kids." Filia observed.

"Thinking' is a bit of a strong word..." Lina murmured, flushing slightly. "Let's not worry about it until later, okay? Like, after tomorrow night- when the world is much safer?"

"I'd say that's a good idea." Zelgadis agreed. "I'm tired, and there's still the threat of Elmyria and Valgaav. We need all the rest we can get."

"Right." Filia agreed.

The group went back to sleep, all except for Lorelei, who stayed outside as a guard, watching the snowflakes gently falling from the sky in thick flurries. She sighed contentedly to herself, not willing to think about what was to come soon.

"I really did like that name as well..." she murmured to herself. Smiling slightly, she added, "I don't think I'd mind having a brother-in-law named 'Enrico..."

(A/N: Poor Filia! She's over there quoting Ghandi, and all El-chan wants to do is blow Xellos up! Heheh~ and poor Xellos as well! No one wants to give up the name 'Enrico!' …I have a feeling that they're going to hold that over him for the rest of his life…)


	29. 29: The Truth Within the Crystal?

(Hiya~! My Spring Break is almost over, so I'll hopefully have more time to write now! So enjoy this chapter whilst I go off and compete in a Science Olympiad competition! Oh, and just a little warning- the end of this chapter is a tad bit morbid… You were warned. Still, enjoy!)

* * *

**29- The Truth Within the Crystal...?**

Lina did not feel like small talk at the moment.

It was a suspenseful day for all of them, knowing that night would be dangerous, and everyone seemed anxious. They kind of wanted to do some training, just in case they'd need more magical skills than they originally thought, but they certainly didn't want to waste their energy either. Zara and Lorelei were having a rather vicious snowball battle- Zara was actually putting up a serious fight. Lina had seen him knock his friend over several times,_ without_ apologising profusely. Lina couldn't remember ever feeling so proud of him since the first time he ever used the Dragon Slave. She felt almost like joining them, after all, she'd love to whack Lorelei over the head with a few firmly packed snowballs. But her heart really wasn't in it. Neither was it in the conversation that Filia was trying to strike up with her at that moment.

"I... really like your headband, Miss Lina."

"Thanks." Lina murmured. She figured that maybe if she only gave monosyllabic responses, Filia would stop talking.

"It's nice... I mean... it goes with your outfit..."

"Yeah."

"And... um... well... I like your jewellery too..."

"Thanks."

"That ring... is it your engagement ring?"

"Yes."

"It's really pretty. A freshwater pearl, right? I've never seen one that colour before. It's so red- it matches your hair. Don't you think?"

"Yeah."

"And, um... those talismans...did they really use to belong to Xellos?"

"Filia... can we quit talking about my accessories? _Please_?"

"Um... okay..." Filia paused. "Well... lovely weather, isn't it? The snow that's falling is so thick… I don't think I've seen a snowfall like this in quite a while..."

"FILIA! WOULD YOU QUIT IT WITH THE SMALL TALK? THIS IS _NOT_ THE TIME!" Lina growled.

"S-sorry!" Filia exclaimed. "I just... well... everything is so complicated, and I guess I just wanted some sort of distraction..."

"Well, if you're looking for a distraction, go join Zara and Lorelei's snowball fight. I'm sure they'd be happy to have your help." Lina suggested.

"I suppose I could... possibly... I don't know, though. It's not really my thing..." Filia murmured.

"Well, if you need someone to talk to, how about you go bother Amelia?"

"Well, she's always hanging around Mister Zelgadis, and you know he's not the most friendly of people all the time..." Filia continued.

"As long as he's with Amelia, he is!" Lina snapped. "Anyway, I'm not in the mood for this sort of talk. If you haven't noticed..." she lowered her voice, sounding slightly embarrassed. "...I'm not particularly comfortable with the possibility of Hellmaster Phibrizzo coming back to life."

'Not comfortable' was an understatement, at best. Lina certainly didn't want Hellmaster Phibrizzo being revived- and for very good reasons.

Lina could count on one hand the things that actually scared her. There were exactly three things that made her want to run away and hide under a rock for the rest of forever. They were:

1. Her sister

2. Slugs

3. Hellmaster Phibrizzo

It wasn't because he was a powerful Dark Lord- no, that wasn't it at all. Any powerful, nightmarish creature could use their strongest magic against her all day long, and she wouldn't be afraid of them. But Hellmaster Phibrizzo was a different story. He knew exactly how to get to her.

He always went after Gourry.

The first time Lina had fought with Phibrizzo, he had taken Gourry hostage and held him in a crystal, threatening his life if Lina didn't use the Giga Slave. Of course, Lina had done what Phibrizzo wanted- and nearly destroyed the world in the process. But afterward, when everything turned out alright, she thought that she didn't have to worry about Phibrizzo anymore.

Unfortunately, she had been wrong. And when she fought him the second time, Gourry actually _had_ been killed in the process. Of course, he'd come right back after Lina defeated Phibrizzo, but the haunting memories were still there. Lina remembered with frightening clarity Gourry's expression as he had handed her the replica Sword of Light, stating that he wouldn't need it anymore. Lina had felt that she, herself was the one dying at that moment- and it only added to her hatred of Phibrizzo.

And now, the possibility of having to deal with him _a third time _was a frightening prospect. But Lina was determined not to show it.

"I understand. I don't think anyone is."

Lina had almost forgotten about Filia sitting next to her, she was so lost in her thoughts. "Yeah. I don't even think Elmyria or Valgaav wants Phibrizzo back." she paused for a moment. "I just wish… I wish that we didn't have to deal with Hellmaster Phibrizzo! It could be anyone- _anyone_! Anyone but Phibrizzo!" Lina sighed.

"Be careful what you wish for, Miss Lina. I'm afraid you might get it." Filia murmured.

Lina nodded thoughtfully. "Do you… think they'd change their minds if we told them what might be hiding within that crystal?"

"I doubt it. They most likely wouldn't believe us. It's worth a try, though." Filia replied.

"I suppose it is..." Lina agreed.

* * *

"Yo, Xellos? You going to eat that soup or not?" Lina asked, a hungry glint in her eyes.

"Here, take it." Xellos sighed, handing Lina the nearly full bowl, which she ravenously scarfed down.

"Hey! Lina! No fair! You already ate Amelia's and Filia's, not to mention your own! Let me have some!" Gourry whined.

It was getting late and everyone was concerned. They still had the three relics in their possession, and night was quickly approaching. Whatever the monsters were planning, it was going to happen soon. It caused most of the group to lose their appetites, while it only made Lina and Gourry even more hungry than usual. Once they'd finished their own food, they began to fight over the other's food as well. Luckily for them, no one else wanted any of it.

"This is crazy, don'tcha think? I mean, getting so worked up about this. We need to sit down and think up a strategy, or we're never going to be able to get anywhere." Lina said between gulps of soup.

"Agreed." Zelgadis nodded. "And what is this strategy that you're suggesting?"

"I'm working on it." Lina sighed. "Gosh, don't be so pushy."

"He's not being pushy, Miss Lina! There's not much time left, and we still have no idea what the monsters are going to do!" Amelia exclaimed.

"How about everyone calm down and think this through for a moment." Filia suggested. "Now, perhaps there is a way to get them to change their minds about this."

"Change their minds? You mean without fighting them?" Amelia asked.

"Yes. Without fighting them." Filia nodded.

"Where's the fun in that?" Lorelei asked.

"Lorelei!" Zara gave his friend a little punch on the shoulder.

"Sorry." Lorelei apologised. "So how would we get them to just stop this whole plan of theirs without putting up a fight?"

"Well, we have the three relics that they want, right? Well, we should offer to give them up without fighting-"

"Give them up? Filia, are you INSANE?" Lina gasped.

"Let me finish!" Filia exclaimed. "We'd give up the relics without a fight, only if they listened to what we had to say first. That way we could tell them about what could happen with Hellmaster Phibrizzo."

"Well, it would ensure that we have an audience with them to tell them the risks of what they're planning." Zelgadis said.

"And it would do away with needless fighting." Amelia agreed.

"But what if they don't buy it?" Xellos asked.

"They might not…" Filia murmured. "And in that case… we'd just have to stop them the hard way…"

"So we'd have to fight them and defeat them…" Lina murmured. "Well, we'd have to do that anyway, so I suppose that Filia's idea is worth a shot. It's better than just outright fighting them."

"It certainly is!" Amelia exclaimed. "That's working together to uphold Justice!"

"Justice, huh? Let's hope so…" Lina murmured.

* * *

By the time Elmyria and Valgaav did show up, just after sunset, Lina was getting so anxious that she was nearly attacking the people around her. She was busy yelling something unimportant at Gourry when there was an enormous explosion.

"About time!" Lina exclaimed. "Get rid of all this smoke, you stupid monsters! I want to fight you for real!"

The majority of the smoke dissipated and Elmyria approached Lina, smiling mischievously, clutching her large red book tightly. "You seem eager to fight? Perhaps I'll teach you that it's a bad idea to blindly challenge those stronger than you are."

"Stronger than I am? I doubt it. Care to wager on that?" Lina asked.

"You're on-"

"Stop this! Stop it!" Filia yelled. "We're not planning to fight, remember? Look! Elmyria, Valgaav, this is what you want, right?" She held up the three small relics. "We've got an offer to make to you."

Elmyria and Valgaav's attention was suddenly fixed on the relics- and on Filia. The cat around their feet turned and hissed at Filia, until she was quieted by a voice from the green crystal.

"Quiet, Riko. Listen to what the dragon has to say." it commanded.

"An… offer?" Valgaav asked curiously.

"Yes. We'll give these to you without a fight. But in return…" Filia began.

"In return? What?" Elmyria gasped.

"In return, you must listen to what we tell you. And actually give it serious consideration before continuing with your plans. Is that agreed?" Filia said.

Elmyria, Valgaav, and Riko glanced at each other, trying to decide whether it would be faster to fight these people and take the relics by force, or to listen to what they have to say and get the relics without a struggle. They seemed to decide on the second option.

"Alright, fine." Elmyria said, approaching Filia. "Hand them over, and then we'll listen to your little sob story."

"Hey!" Lina exclaimed. "I don't think so! You've got to listen before you get these! We're not stupid!"

"I rather agree with you, Miss Lina, regarding the circumstances, but the El-chan I know wouldn't lie." Xellos said.

Elmyria scowled. "I'm glad that you trust my integrity… however…" she approached Xellos, giving him a stern look. "…you don't know me _at all_…"

"I know you better than you'd think, my dear." Xellos countered.

"Why you-"

"Okay! No arguing! Listen, alright?" Filia exclaimed.

"Fine, we'll listen. Stay calm, El." Valgaav responded.

Elmyria gave a little growl in Valgaav's direction, but was quiet all the same.

"Now that we've got your attention," Lina began. "we wanted to let you know a few things that we've been thinking about that crystal that you have. First of all, I wanted to ask how you know that the person in that crystal is really the Demon Dragon King himself?"

"I've been asked this before, and I repeat, I trust my master." Elmyria said.

"You really ought to be more trusting of those stronger than yourself, humans." the voice from within the crystal commanded.

"You can be quiet, whoever-you-are." Lina spat. It certainly sounded like Gaav, but there was no way to tell for sure. And certainly no way to tell whether or not he was alone.

"Okay, so suppose we do trust you. Maybe you really are Gaav and are telling the truth. But, the question is… are you the only one in that crystal?"

"The… the only one…?" Elmyria murmured.

There was a long pause, with no response from the voice. Then, finally, he spoke up. "…just what… are you suggesting…? That I would act as a host for some other spirit to be revived with my own..? Whose?"

"You know whose." Lina scowled. "You should, at least. It's kind of obvious why we would be suspicious."

"Ah yes. I understand completely now. So that's why you didn't trust me. I get it. You humans really are quite paranoid, you know that?" the voice laughed.

"W-wait! Who are they talking about? Lord Gaav? Is there something you know that we don't?" Elmyria gasped. "Valgaav! Who are they talking about?"

"You ask me as if I know?" Valgaav replied.

"Now, now. Calm down you two. I didn't happen to mention it, but the humans probably might be a little suspicious of us. Come now, all of you, I assure you that there is no one inside this crystal other than myself. There wouldn't be room for anyone else, really. It's not very roomy, the way a jar is."

"Huh, so you know about that too, eh?" Lina asked. "I guess it would make sense that you'd know about a jar _named after you_…"

"Miss Lina!" Amelia exclaimed. None of them had ever expected Lina to be so outright with her accusations, but she obviously had something in mind.

"A jar? Named after me? I'm certain that you must be mistaken. Perhaps you're thinking of someone else." the voice replied.

"I know who I'm thinking of, and you know it too. If there really is no one else in that crystal, like you say, then I'm really beginning to wonder just who _you_ are. And if you really are who you say you are, then how is Phibrizzo involved in all this? He has to be somehow. The Phibrizzo that I've come to know would never let something like this happen without somehow getting involved in it."

"Phibrizzo? Getting involved in all this? How could he when you killed him?" the voice responded after a bit of contemplation.

"He's been killed twice. And yet he still managed to make our lives difficult. What makes this time any different?" Lina pointed out.

"You possess quite a sharp tongue, Miss Inverse." the voice continued. "I'd be careful if I were you. You might anger some people that you shouldn't anger."

"Thanks for the advice. I'll think about that." Lina replied.

"Well, if that's all your going to say, then we'd like to take what belongs to us and leave." Elmyria finally said, stepping forward.

"Fine, fine. I guess we couldn't convince you, but it was worth a shot anyway. As promised." Lina sighed, tossing the three stone relics towards the monsters.

"So you do have some honour after all." Elmyria observed.

"We don't want to deceive you just as much as you don't want to deceive us." Xellos said. "However, let's hope that whoever is in that crystal feels the same way."

"You're being awfully rude to me. I can hear everything you say, you know. I'd think that you ought to treat me a bit better- after all, when I'm finally out of this crystal, I can make things very bad for you." the voice threatened.

"If you get out of there at all." Lina spat.

"What are you suggesting? That the ritual won't work?" Elmyria asked.

"Oh, I'm not doubting the ritual at all." Lina said. "But you really don't think that we're going to stand by and let this happen? We might have given you those relics, but we're not going to let you get away with your plans so easily. You still have to fight us."

"Dang it, why must you be so annoying?" Elmyria cursed.

"It's our job, _Ellie-chan_!" Lina laughed.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" Elmyria clenched her teeth, glaring at the group angrily. "Valgaav! Riko! You two get started on that ritual! Leave these idiots to me!"

"Right! Don't cause too much damage!" Valgaav called as he disappeared, with Riko following behind him.

"Where is he going?" Lina yelled.

"To the nearby lake. The ritual requires a body of water- and that's the only thing around here that's big enough not to be frozen yet." Elmyria explained.

"I see. I wonder how long it'll be until it is frozen. The snow is still getting thicker." Lina observed.

"The weather is none of your concern. Now, let's get this over with." Elmyria growled, firing a powerful attack at the group. There was a collective scream and everyone jumped out of the way.

"Hey, Gourry?" Lina coughed through the smoke.

"What is it?"

"You know that replica Sword of Light that Pokota gave you? I think now would be a good time to use it!"

"R-right!" Gourry nodded and pulled out the hilt of the sword that he carried with him. He had been surprised that he hadn't had to use it before now, but it was always comforting knowing that he had it with him, just in case.

"_Light come forth_!"

The blade of the Sword of Light cut through the dark smoke created by Elmyria's attack. "Huh, a magical weapon, eh? A perfect replica of Gorun Nova. It's pretty nice if I do say so myself. But not strong enough to be a real threat." Elmyria commented. "Who made that anyway? I doubt that you'd be smart enough to make something like that."

"My friend, Pokota. He's really smart. As smart as Lina, I think." Gourry replied.

"H-hey! He's nowhere near as smart as I am! Don't you dare compare me to that empty-headed fuzzball!" Lina yelled.

"You can argue your intelligence all you want, but it's going to get you nowhere." Elmyria sighed. "Now, are you going to fight us for what you want, or are you going to go away?"

"We're not going anywhere!" Lina growled.

"Fine then. I'll finish you off once and for a-"

"Stop it, El-chan! I'm your opponent! Not them!" Xellos exclaimed, jumping in front of the group with his arms outstretched.

"X-Xellos…" Filia gasped.

"You really want to stand in my way, the way you are right now?" Elmyria asked.

"I'll stand in your way no matter what, as long as you oppose the goals of Lord Beastmaster." Xellos spat. "Besides, you won't kill me. You wouldn't dare."

"Now, now. That all depends on how easily you die, Xellos." El murmured gravely.

Xellos narrowed his gaze. "Well then, I suppose I can't die all that quickly, now can I?"

"I think… _you should_!"

_CRASH!_

Elmyria's attack caused Xellos to fly back against a tree, clutching a gaping wound and struggling to breathe.

"Sorry… but I refuse…" he gasped. "…to die so easily for you… El-chan…"

"XELLOS~!" Lorelei shrieked.

"You refuse, eh? I thought you once said that you could never refuse me anything… _Onii-sama_." Elmyria said with an maliciously sweet edge to her voice.

"You… make… a… good… po… int… _El… chan_…" Xellos put his hand up against the tree to steady himself. He was obviously having trouble breathing, much less speaking, but he still didn't back down.

Elmyria scowled. She prepared another attack to strike a finishing blow, but stopped and gasped as she watched her target fall over, unconscious.

"_XELLOS_!" Filia yelled.

Elmyria held a puzzled look on her face and walked up to the still form of the boy. She kicked him slightly, watching for any reaction- conscious or unconscious. When she didn't receive any, she sighed and turned around to the group. "Huh. Interesting. Well, my job here is done. I have somewhere I really need to be before it's too late. Goodbye- hopefully I _won't_ be seeing you soon." She paused and directed her attention toward Xellos. "Especially _you_."

The shock of the sudden events held everyone in place for a few seconds after the monster disappeared. The first one to say anything was Filia.

"XELLOS~!" Filia gasped, rushing directly to the side of the boy's motionless form. The rest of the group quickly gathered around her.

"Is he…?" Amelia choked.

"No! He's not! He can't be!" Lorelei exclaimed.

Zelgadis bent down and took the boy's wrist. Filia cringed inwardly seeing how limp his arm was as the chimera checked for a pulse.

"Well, Zelgadis?" Lina murmured.

The chimera didn't speak, but his expression betrayed his answer right away.

"No! NO! _NO!"_ Lorelei gasped. "It's not- he's not-"

"Is he breathing? Does anyone know CPR?" Filia yelled.

"If it's due to the injuries he sustained, I doubt that cardiopulmonary resuscitation would be effective." Zara mumbled gravely.

"Well there's got to be something we can do! SOMETHING? ANYTHING? Can't you do some sort of recovery spell on him? Resurrection? SOMETHING? " Lorelei pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lorelei…" Amelia murmured. "…but Resurrection won't work if the person is already…" her voice trailed off.

"But he's not! He's not! Xellos wake up! WAKE UP!" Filia shrieked, shaking the boy's limp form. She noticed with dismay that the snow landing on him was not melting as fast as it did with the people around them. She brushed a thin white layer off his face and shook him again. "Xellos! XELLOS!"

"Filia…" Lina murmured. "We… we need to get to that lake. Something terrible could happen if we don't. You heard how the person in that crystal responded to our questions- he was being very cryptic. The only thing he came right out and said was that he was alone in the crystal. But we don't know who he is. We've got to stop them from performing this ritual before they unleash something really dangerous onto the world."

"B-but… we can't leave Xellos… not like this…" Filia protested, shaking the boy even harder. "Everyone, you can go on, but I'm staying here! I'm not leaving him!"

"Filia, you can't stay here by yourself. Someone could come and attack you, and you'd be on your own." Lina said.

"I'm alright! If anyone tries to attack me, I'll use my mace! And if that doesn't work, then they'll have to deal with an actual Golden Dragon! You know I'm not helpless!" Filia exclaimed.

Lina sighed. "Fine. We could use your help, though. Come join us later, if you want. It may be what we need to defeat the monsters."

"Thanks…" Filia murmured. "Lorelei… are you leaving as well…?"

"I… have to…" Lorelei choked. "I'll _kill_ that Elmyria!"

"Lorelei…" Zara gasped, grabbing her by the arm.

"Come on, you guys." Zelgadis directed. Filia listened and waited until they were out of hearing range. She began shaking the boy again, and yelling for him to wake up. It didn't seem to be working, but it was the only thing she could think of to do. Scolding herself for being so foolish, she changed her mind a attempted a few healing spells instead. Perhaps they could make the injuries just a bit less severe…

A grave voice behind her jarred her from her train of thought.

"Save your spells, Filia. They're useless now."

The dragon stiffened and reached for her mace.

* * *

(A/N: Now that Lina made up that nickname, I have the urge to start calling Elmyria 'Ellie-chan,' just to bug her…)


	30. 30: Many Shocking Returns of the Night

(30 chapters! The insanity! I'm surprised that it's this long so far, but it's been a fun trip! And believe me, it's not over yet! So, do enjoy this next chapter! As always, I don't own the characters! I just like to play with them a little! Yay~!)

* * *

**30- Many Shocking Returns of the Night**

"Save your spells, Filia. They're useless now."

The dragon stiffened and reached for her mace. She struck out violently, trying to hit her target, but it evaded her. Again and again she threw the mace around, each time becoming more and more hysterical. Every time she was sure that she was going to make contact with her intended target, but every time it disappeared just out of reach. Filia stopped for a moment, catching her breath. The monster appeared in front of her, eyeing her curiously.

"Is that it? You're done? I expected more from you. You didn't even look like you were aiming at all!" he laughed.

"_Y-you_…"Filia cursed. "_How_?"

"How? Oh, my dear Filia, there's a very long and complicated explanation behind it involving many excruciating details, and I'd love to tell you- _I honestly would_! However…" A pair of familiar purple eyes fixed themselves on the dragon. "…Lord Beastmaster wishes me not to divulge that information, and as such~ It. Is. A. Secret."

"_WHY YOU-!" _Filia swung violently toward Xellos with her mace, though he jumped just out of her reach, levitating quite contentedly just a few centimetres off the ground.

"Aim, Filia. Aim." Xellos teased. "What? Do you want me to hold still for you?" He paused for a brief moment.

Seeing her chance, Filia ran up and grabbed hold of him. Xellos was expecting a good beating, but instead he found himself caught up in a tight hug.

"Xellos, you idiotic namagomi! How dare you! _How dare you_?" Filia sobbed.

"Uh… well… I was looking forward to the beating you'd promised me, but… uh… this works too." Xellos stammered.

"You made us worry." Filia whispered.

"Don't get mad at me. If you've got a problem with this, take it up with Lord Beastmaster." Xellos replied.

"I actually might…" Filia murmured.

"I'd advise against it." Xellos responded. "For your sake, of course."

"Of course."

_WHACK!_

"Ow! Okay, _that one_ I did not see coming!" Xellos gasped, clutching his head where Filia had made direct contact with her mace.

"You deserved that." she growled. "As you will deserve every other beating that I'm going to give you as long as I live."

"Ouch. Filia, that's rather cold. Acting benevolent for a moment to get me to let my guard down, and then attacking me. Goodness that's low, even for you."

"YOU VILE MONSTER! WHAT DO YOU MEAN, '_EVEN FOR ME_?"

"Haha~! That's more like the Filia I know!" Xellos exclaimed. "It feels like you've been holding back with me, just a little bit. That will not do at all."

"Holding back? Oh, of course not! You haven't even received the brunt of my fury yet!" Filia exclaimed, looking as though she was about to turn into a dragon. Xellos quickly interrupted the transformation.

"F-Filia! Dear! Would it be possible for me to take a rain check on that fury of yours? As much as I'd like to see it, we've got more pressing issues at the moment, and Miss Lina and the others need our assistance!"

"Oh! Right! Miss Lina and the others! I'd forgotten!" Filia gasped.

"My, my. Being rather absentminded today, are we Filia?" Xellos laughed. "As per usual."

"XELLOS! QUIET!" Filia growled. "We've got to help them! Now, if we run to the lake, I'm pretty sure that we can get there in time to-"

"You can go ahead and do that, Filia. As for me, I think I'll take a bit more of a stealthy route." Xellos replied.

"You're enjoying being a monster again, aren't you?" Filia asked.

"Oh yes. You really never know how fortunate you are until you lose the things you take for granted, don't you?" Xellos said.

"Agreed." Filia nodded. She cast a sidelong glance at the motionless human body, looking rather small and lonely in the snow. "What should we do about… _Enrico?" _she murmured.

"Destroy any evidence that he existed, of course." Xellos replied. He waved his staff and created a barrage of spinning cones, disintegrating the empty shell of a body that his spirit no longer occupied. Filia sighed sadly, watching it disappear.

"You know, he really was an adorable boy…"

"Don't even start, Filia. Don't even start."

* * *

"DUG HAUT!"

"FLARE ARROW!"

"ELMIKIA LANCE!"

"FIREBALL!"

Lina and her friends fired a barrage of attacks at the monsters as Gourry backed them up with the Sword of Light, and Lorelei flew around in an attempt to be a distraction. The anger showed brightly in her red eyes, and all her attacks were directed at Elmyria- and it was obvious that she wasn't holding back.

"Dang it! She's deflecting our attacks as if we're flies! We're doing no good throwing unorganised spells like this!" Lina cursed! "You guys, we need to do something! Someone go after Valgaav!"

"Right! I'm on it, Lina!" Gourry called, running off in another direction. Seeing him going after her companions, Elmyria quickly cut him off, throwing an attack that managed to push the swordsman back and make him fall to the ground.

"Gourry!" Lina gasped, running to her companion's side, putting all her attention into casting a healing spell.

Elmyria was now busy dodging attacks that Amelia and Zelgadis were throwing at her, while avoiding getting hit with Lorelei's staff. She managed to throw a couple of attacks that kept Amelia and Zelgadis busy for a few moments while she focused on Lorelei.

"I _hate _you!" Lorelei spat.

"That's nice. I'm so glad." Elmyria replied, though her opponent couldn't tell whether or not she was being serious.

Lorelei lunged forward to hit Elmyria with her staff, but El managed to grab the metal weapon before Lorelei could score a hit. She grabbed the little monster and twisted her around, with one arm around her neck and the other holding Lorelei's own weapon against her throat.

"LORELEI! NO! LET HER GO NOW!" Zara shrieked, casting a levitation spell and trying to rescue his friend. However, Elmyria struck out at the boy with the staff, sending him falling…

…into Lina's arms. "Be careful!" she scolded.

"B-but Lorelei-" Zara protested.

"L-let me go!" Lorelei exclaimed, struggling against Elmyria's grip. "Let me go!"

"Or what? It's not like you can fire any spells in this position, and I have your precious staff." Elmyria pointed out.

"I… I'll bite you!" Lorelei threatened.

Elmyria laughed, with a sarcastic edge to her voice. "Oh, that's so adorable! You're going to bite me, huh? Wouldn't Xellos be _so proud of you_?"

"Oh, of course I would! I'd hate to think that, trapped in a situation like this, that she wouldn't make use of those wonderful little fangs I gave her! Don't you think, El-chan?"

Elmyria stiffened, loosening her grip on Lorelei. "Y-you!"

Her voice was cut off as Xellos struck her with his own staff, grabbing Lorelei's in the process and holding the spearpoint directly in front of her face. "My, my. How the tables have turned in just a matter of minutes. Isn't the irony beautiful, El-chan?"

Elmyria scowled. "I had a feeling that I'd see you as a monster again soon. I knew I couldn't possibly have killed your human body so easily, so I figured that Zelas must have interfered somehow."

"I know! Lord Beastmaster certainly has impeccable timing, wouldn't you say?" Xellos laughed.

"I wouldn't." Elmyria growled.

She tried to move, but Xellos managed to hold her firmly in place. "Everyone!" he yelled. "Go after Valgaav and Riko! I've got Elmyria!"

"X-Xellos!" Lina gasped. "You… you're… how… what…? Uh… good to see you again!"

"Same to you, Miss Lina! However, there's no time for formalities! Just go!" Xellos exclaimed. "If you don't do something about those two, then there's no reason for us to be fighting in the first place!"

"You've got it!" Lina replied. "Come on, guys! You heard the monster!"

"Right!" Gourry nodded.

"There'll be time for questions later." Zelgadis nodded, following them.

"_Xellos!_ I'm so glad that you're… er, well… that is… th-thank you…" Lorelei murmured.

"No time for 'thank yous!' You've got work to do, Lorelei darling!" he called back with a smile. Xellos turned his attention back to Elmyria. "_You've_ worked so hard, El-chan- but I'm afraid this is where your playtime ends. The extent of your magic can't take down those humans, and it certainly can't take down me."

"And just what makes you assume that I've been showing you the extent of my powers?" Elmyria growled. "I'll let you in on a little secret- you haven't seen anything yet."

"We haven't…?" Xellos began, but wasn't able to finish the thought. Elmyria created a powerful blast that he only narrowly managed to dodge. Xellos wasn't sure at first, but the steaming hole in his nearly impervious cape said it all- that was no ordinary spell.

_Dang it… That spell was incredible! If I'd been hit… well, it'd be no easy task to get up again, that's for sure. But that power… _"Elmyria!" he exclaimed. "That power- it isn't yours! Is it?"

"Of course not!" Elmyria laughed loudly. "Do you remember me telling you that Lord Gaav gave us power? Well this is it! And this… this is only the beginning!"

Xellos stared for a moment at his opponent, scrutinising the power that she was using. He had fought Gaav before, and this power- it wasn't his. It was too strong. So who did it belong to?

Xellos watched as Elmyria laughed. _El-chan… _he thought, grimacing. _I know El-chan… and this… this isn't her! What… has this power done to you…?_

"Now Xellos! I'll make you see things our way… or not see anything at all!" Elmyria laughed hysterically. She shot another blast at Xellos, and this time the attack made contact.

_Crap… I'm falling… I can't regain my balance! _Xellos' mind raced as he fell. He fully expected to make painful contact with the ground eventually, but didn't. He was caught by something quite a bit closer.

Xellos gasped as he ran his fingers across the smooth, golden scales. "Filia!"

"Remember you said that you'd be taking a more stealthy route?" The dragon asked, flapping her powerful wings determinedly. "Well, I can be stealthy too!"

"Hah! I was beginning to wonder where you'd gotten your lazy butt off to!" Xellos laughed.

"You be quiet!" Filia snapped. "This 'lazy butt' just saved _yours_! I'd think that you'd be at least a little grateful!"

"What? Saved me? Oh, Filia, don't flatter yourself! I would have gotten along just fine on my own!" Xellos replied with a grin and a wink.

"Would it _kill you_ to at least be_ civil_ to me on occasion?" Filia groaned.

"No, but it'd be no fun~!" Xellos teased.

"Ugh! I can't stand you!"

"And that's why you love me." Xellos laughed.

"I suppose so…" Filia sighed.

"Hah! Brought your pet dragon along for the ride, eh Xellos?" Elmyria laughed. "That's fine! I'll take you both down at once! Hahaha~!"

"Xellos… is she… she's not…" Filia murmured.

"Not right in the head, I'm afraid." Xellos finished. He bent down closer to Filia's head and whispered. "It's like this- when a creature uses power far beyond that which they were designed to exercise, it's a very dangerous process. It messes with their mind and causes them to…"

"…go insane?" Filia finished.

"Yes. Just a bit." Xellos nodded. "Which is why we have to do something!"

"Right!" Filia nodded. She created a powerful attack of her own and shot it at Elmyria, who didn't seem to make any effort to dodge it.

"FILIA! NO! I DIDN'T MEAN SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" Xellos exclaimed, pulling a handful of Filia's hair to grab the dragon's attention.

"Wha? But Xellos, I-" Filia stopped, looking at the seriousness in the monster's eyes. "You… you don't want to hurt her, do you?"

"If I was fine with hurting her, then I'd have used my full strength against her before and she would certainly be dead." Xellos stated. "But…"

"-But you care about her." Filia finished.

"Erm, 'care' is a strong word…" Xellos murmured.

"You _do_ care about her. I'm sorry for attacking her like that. There has to be some way to reach out to her without hurting her!" Filia exclaimed.

The dragon was busy dodging attacks as she thought- Elmyria had lost all reservations about throwing attacks and was sending powerful blasts of energy in every direction. It seemed almost as if she wasn't even concerned with aiming anymore.

"What do we do about her?" Filia gasped.

"I don't think there is anything _to _do." Xellos replied. "The fact is that Miss Lina and the others probably need our help at the moment. We ought to join them."

"And leave Elmyria?" Filia gasped.

"She might follow us… in which case we'll have everyone in one place." Xellos replied. "This could be advantageous to us, since we outnumber them more than two to one."

"You think?" Filia asked. "Okay! We'll head to the lake, then!"

Elmyria watched them go for a long while. Suddenly, she grinned evilly, and began to laugh. "You're going to turn tail and run? FINE THEN! We'll make you pay! ONCE WE REACH OUR GOAL, YOU'LL ALL PAY!" Her laughter echoed off the lake's surface as she disappeared from sight.

* * *

Lina dodged a set of viciously sharp claws as an overprotective catlike monster tried her best to fulfil her duties. Riko was not letting anyone get their hands on the crystal, no matter who she had to fight. Lina had to admit that the animal was determined- of course that only made things more difficult. She winced as the cat's claws made painful contact with her skin, making a long gash on her arm. "Ouch… geez, you're not playing around, are you?"

"L-Lina! No! Oh my gosh!" Gourry gasped, grabbing tight hold of her.

"Hey! Gourry! Don't freak out! What's the matter? It's no big deal!" Lina replied.

"B-but my grandmother always said that if you got scratched by a cat, then the wound would get infected and you'd die!" Gourry stammered.

Lina groaned and displayed how non-fatal her wound was by whacking him over the head with her injured arm. "Geez, you idiot! This is kind of a unique situation. Plus I'm a sorceress- I can heal this wound whenever I feel like it."

"S-sorry! I'm just anxious! Don't die on me, okay?"

"Yeah, we need you, Miss Lina!" Amelia agreed.

"I wasn't planning to, you guys. Trust me." Lina sighed. "FIREBALL~!" She had to create a blast of energy to keep from being attacked by the cat again. Riko was not giving up- that was for sure.

"El… Riko… just buy me time for a few more minutes… then this will be complete…" Valgaav murmured as he watched the cat struggling with her human opponents on the shore of the lake. He was busy arranging the relics in a large circle- they had to be placed in just the right order for the ritual to work. The rock jutting out in the middle of the lake was the perfect place to put them, as it was surrounded by water, which would magnify the light of the full moon, which was slowly reaching its peak. Just a few more minutes and midnight would be upon them. And then… He detached the crystal from the book, holding it up to the sky, seeing the moonlight glimmering through it. It was so beautifully translucent, there seemed to be no way that there could be a Dark Lord inside, just waiting to be released onto the world.

"Valgaav… you're sure that this is what you want, correct?"

"Yes. I'm positive, Lord Gaav." Valgaav nodded.

"There is no turning back once I am released. You heard what the humans said- that I might not be trusted. Do you still want to go through with this, with the knowledge that they might be right?"

Valgaav paused. "I…" he began, unsure of what to say.

"You know that, for this spell to work, the one performing it must have no reservations. Decide now whether or not you want to turn back." the voice commanded.

"I…" Valgaav began again. "I'm positive. This is what I want. I was loyal to you before, and will remain so no matter what. I will revive you."

"Good boy." the crystal replied with evident satisfaction. "Now let's find Elmyria and begin this. The time is almost upon us."

"I'm… here… don't worry…"

Valgaav turned around. "El!" he gasped. "You… are you… alright…?"

Elmyria laughed. "Better! Finally, after all this time, all our hard work is going to pay off! Come on, aren't you excited? AREN'T YOU?" She burst out into laughter again.

"El! Whatever is wrong with you, snap out of it now!" Valgaav yelled, seeing the crazed look in her eyes. "This is serious!"

"This _is_ serious! I _am_ serious! This is the beginning! The beginning of everything!" Elmyria laughed.

"El…" Valgaav began, looking very concerned. "You… I don't think…"

"Perfect! That's the spirit, Elmyria!" the voice from the crystal congratulated.

"L-Lord Gaav… you approve of this…?" Valgaav gasped in disbelief. "This can't be right… this isn't El… I don't understand…"

"You don't have to understand, Valgaav. Tell me, are you in or out?" The voice said. "I'm not going to ask again."

Valgaav seemed conflicted for a moment before turning back to the crystal with a determined expression. "I'm in." he sighed.

* * *

"This is no good… we're stuck fighting this stupid cat while Valgaav and Elmyria are busy bringing about possible destruction onto the world!" Lina growled. "Fact is, she's not very good at all! Just good at dodging attacks… and distracting us!"

"Lina, why don't you see what's going on in the centre of the lake! We'll handle Riko here!" Zelgadis called.

"Yeah, Miss Lina! Go on ahead!" Amelia agreed.

"Right! I'll see if I can take one last chance to snap them out of it! There has to be some way!" Lina replied, casting a Ray Wing spell and taking off over the surface of the water. She glanced up at the full moon, seeing that it had nearly reached the sky's peak. It was nearly midnight. She had to work quickly.

"Hey! You guys!" Lina yelled.

"Oh no, not you! Haven't you interfered with us enough?" Valgaav growled.

"No, no! It's okay! Let her interfere! Let her try! It'll make things interesting! Really interesting!" Elmyria laughed, pushing Valgaav out of the way. "You're going to oppose us _now_? I'd like to see you try! I'd really like to see you try!"

Lina stopped. "What… is the matter with her…?" she gasped.

"Matter? Nothing is the matter. She has been kindly loaned quite a bit of power, and is just figuring out how to use it properly." the voice from the crystal answered.

"You idiot! That power has driven her insane! She needs help! You can't possibly approve of this!" Lina snapped. "I thought you cared about her!"

"Now, Miss Lina Inverse, you're throwing around some rather harsh accusations here. I must put forth that insanity is a subjective thing. What one person would consider crazy, another would find perfectly sane. Perhaps it is you who is the insane one, while Elmyria here is completely normal."

"Y-you…" Lina gasped. "Listen to that! That can't possibly be your master- or if it is, he doesn't care about you at all! Aren't you two getting any of this? Stop what you're doing right now! Stop it, or something terrible could happen!"

"El… do you think…?" Valgaav began hesitantly, wondering how much truth there was to what Lina was saying.

"Shut up, human! You're being so annoying!" Elmyria growled.

"Too true, Elmyria. See, Miss Lina Inverse? They trust me." The crystal said.

"Elmyria, listen! You can't be serious! If this was really your master, then he wouldn't take advantage of your trust so easily! He'd want you to at least be a little suspicious- for your own good! Whoever this is, it's not him! Snap out of it!"

"El… I wonder… what if we're doing something wrong…?" Valgaav asked.

"Valgaav, I thought you were with us! Are you or aren't you? We can't have you flipping back and forth!" the voice commanded.

"I… er… well…" Valgaav looked back and forth between Elmyria and Lina, not sure where he wanted to go. Oh, this was so confusing!

"I, for one, am all for this! This will teach you to be so rude, human! Lord Gaav will teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" Elmyria yelled, holding up the crystal in the middle of the rock, with the relics surrounding it. Lina gasped as the moon hit the exact middle of the sky, falling onto the crystal and illuminating it many bright colours. Suddenly, a huge flash of light shot up from the water and created a enormous blast of energy.

The next thing Lina knew, she had been sent flying back to the shore of the lake, where Gourry quickly caught her. "L-Lina! What's happening?" he gasped.

"I… couldn't convince them…" Lina murmured.

"And now…?"

"Now our curiosity as to who is in that crystal will finally be satisfied." Xellos said, joining them. "Just not in the way that we wanted…"

"Xellos! When did you get here?" Lina gasped.

"With Filia a few minutes ago. We helped keep Riko busy while you went to go stop Elmyria and Valgaav, but it seems…"

There was another huge blast of energy, and a blinding flash of light that stayed illuminated for a long time. Lina and her friends couldn't see… but they could definitely hear!

"Finally… finally… it's been much too long since I could stand on the solid ground, feel what it's like to be alive once again… All this time I've spent… hopefully it will be worth it…"

Lina stiffened at the chilling sound of the voice. "That voice…" she murmured to herself. "…_that voice_…"

* * *

(A/N: I'm going to end it here? I'm so cruel! Geez! Well, this has moved along quite nicely, though. Xellos is a monster again, Elmyria is insane, Valgaav isn't sure exactly what he wants to do… and now whoever was in the crystal is out! Yikes! )


	31. 31: and that's what REALLY happened!

Hello everyone! Now for a follow-up after that cliffhanger in the previous chapter! I had a lot of fun with this chapter, mostly due to the person who comes out of that crystal... Anyway, as usual, I don't own the Slayers, I just make them put up with crazy things for my own amusement. Enjoy!

* * *

**31-...and that's what REALLY happened!**

"That voice… whose voice is it…? I've never… heard it before…"

Lina and her friends stared at the figure standing in front of them. After hearing his unfamiliar voice, they weren't sure what to expect- but whatever they were expecting, this certainly wasn't it. Most of them took a step back in trepidation.

"Lina," Gourry whispered. "I forgot who this guy is. What's his name again?"

"Gourry…" Lina murmured. "I've… never seen him before in my life…"

"Is it Phibrizzo?" Gourry replied. "Because it doesn't look like him."

"I don't know… Phibrizzo always liked to appear as a child… this guy looks a little bit older…" Lina responded.

The group found themselves faced with a black-haired young man who looked as though he couldn't be older than 19 or 20. His dark bangs glittered an iridescent colour spectrum when the moonlight hit them, and his piercing gold eyes took in his surroundings with evident curiosity.

"Hi there." he greeted the group with a grin. "Might I be the first to say that it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance?"

"You… you're…" Lina stammered.

"You're not… Lord Gaav…"

The young man turned around to see Valgaav staring daggers at him- and Elmyria behind him looking equally surprised- and completely bewildered. He gasped in response, looking around with a confused expression.

"I… I'm not? …Really…? …Oh! Wait!" the man smiled and clapped his hands as if he'd just made the greatest discovery in the world. "You're right! I'm not! Oh, I'd been so busy pretending to be him, that I hadn't noticed! Ten points for you, Valgaav!"

"Y-you… _tricked_ us…?" Elmyria gasped.

"Now, now… I don't like that word, 'tricked'… it's just too weak…" the young man sighed thoughtfully. "Let's see… oh! 'Manipulated!' I like that a lot better! I didn't trick you, I _manipulated_ you! How about that?"

"How could you be so outright about it? They trusted you!" Lina spat.

The man shrugged. "What's the big deal? I'm here, aren't I?" He turned back around to Elmyria and Valgaav. "So, how about it? Will you guys continue to help me, now that I'm alive again?"

"You tricked us, you liar! We're not helping you, no matter what!" Elmyria spat.

"I agree with her! You took advantage of our trust! That's… that's…!"Valgaav yelled without the heart to finish what he was going to say.

The man sighed. "Oh, that's such a pity. I actually quite enjoyed working with you. Oh well, what must be, must be. Whoever isn't with you is against you, I suppose. Likewise, I don't think you need my powers anymore, so I'll make this quick and painless for both of you… as much as possible, that is."

"Wha…?" Lina gasped as the young man suddenly was enveloped in a flash of light along with Elmyria and Valgaav. The two let out a scream, but were cut off. The light suddenly dissipated, and Elmyria was on her knees, while Valgaav was…

"Oh!" Filia exclaimed. Back in her human form, she was running forward with her arms outstretched to catch something…

"That's-" Amelia began.

"Val! Oh Val!" Filia sobbed, holding the Ancient Dragon egg close. It was just as she remembered it before Elmyria had stolen it. She silently vowed to never let it out of her sight again.

"N-no way…" Lina murmured. "Valgaav was… for something to change so fast… This guy must be…"

The young man grinned and turned his attention to Elmyria. "Now I'll get rid of you too." he grinned.

Elmyria winced. She no longer had the powers that he had given her, and was much weaker. There was no way that she could possibly fight back against someone like this…

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

Elmyria gasped and looked up. "X-Xellos?" she murmured. The monster was standing in front of her, arms outstretched.

"You've done quite enough to Elmyria, I'd think." he growled.

"You know I don't care what you think." the young man sneered. "Listen, Xellos- this is really not the sort of situation that you want to be in right now. You know full well that only one being has ever stood between me and my intended opponent and lived to tell the tale."

"Oh yes, I know that. I'm just surprised that she somehow let you live. I'm not sure I understand it very well myself." Xellos replied.

"Oh really? Come on, Xellos! Don't be like that." the man said, reaching out and grabbing Xellos by the throat. Everyone watched in horror as Xellos struggled against the physically smaller man's grip. Why wasn't he escaping like they were sure he could? Could it be that this person was even more powerful than Xellos…?

"Tell me, Xellos, you do know how powerful I am, correct?" the young man asked, a serious expression on his face.

"Oh, yes." Xellos choked.

"Yes _what_? You know my name."

"Y-yes, Vireas." Xellos corrected.

Vireas considered Xellos for another moment before tossing him violently to the ground, still keeping him magically bound in one place. "You need to learn to respect your superiors, Xellos." he smirked. "That would be 'yes, Lord Pathosmaster' to you."

…

"What did I say?" Vireas continued, bending down to stare over Xellos.

"You can't possibly expect me to address you as 'Lord,' Vireas." Xellos replied.

"I suppose I can't expect you. But I can _make_ you." Vireas laughed, picking up Xellos by the neck of his shirt. He pulled the monster closer to his face, sneering. "Xellos… now, _what _did you call me again…?"

"Vi…reas… I…" Xellos choked.

"_What was that?" _Vireas growled again.

"Y-yes… Lord… Pathosmaster…" Xellos stammered, finding it hard to talk, and with no other option than to give in to the Dark Lord's orders or be hurt severely in the process.

"You see?" Vireas laughed. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"That depends on your point of view…" Xellos murmured.

"Ah, well. I have no further use for you. Go on and play catch-up with little sister. I've got other people to deal with." Vireas sighed, tossing Xellos to the ground beside Elmyria. "Now for you funny humans…"

Vireas approached Lina, staring at her with rapt attention. Lina was to stunned to move. She had just witnessed this person throwing Xellos around as if he was some sort of toy! Xellos! Lina stiffened as Vireas put a hand on her shoulder, bending down so that his face was level with hers. He grinned with a mischievous smile.

"Hey there, gorgeous. Haven't I seen you around somewhere before?"

Lina's mind was on everything but the situation at hand, and by the time she realised what was going on, his lips were almost touching hers.

"_FIREBALL!"_

"Ooh, yikes! You're a feisty one, aren't you? I like it!" Vireas laughed.

"Y-you pervert!" Lina yelled, running and grabbing hold of Gourry's arm. "How dare you try to kiss someone you don't even know! And someone who's married, no less!" She clutched Gourry even harder, attempting to add emphasis to her words.

"Geez, no need to get all upset about it, Ginger! You ought to be flattered that I find you attractive."

"My name is _Lina_!" she snapped. "And I find it disgusting, not flattering!"

"Disgusting? Wow, that's harsh. And I like Ginger better. It's pretty. 'Lina' is just so boring." Vireas sighed.

"_I _don't think the name 'Lina' is boring at all!" Gourry replied. "In fact, it's the prettiest name I know of!"

"Sorry, Blondie, but I think you're biased." Vireas responded.

"His name is _Gourry_! Quit naming people based on their hair colour!" Lina yelled.

"What? It's the only way I can tell you guys apart! Humans all look the same to me. Well… most of them…" Vireas directed a charming look at Lina, who simply growled in response.

"You'd really better quit looking at Lina like that." Gourry warned. "What she'd do to you would be way worse than what I'd do to you-and that's saying something!"

"Oh really? You're protective of her?" Vireas asked curiously.

"That's the whole reason I exist." Gourry shot back. "So you should keep your comments to yourself."

Vireas eyed the swordsman for a moment. He began to laugh. "Oh my gosh, it's so funny when humans try to tell me what to do! It's so cute how they think I'll pay attention to anything they say!"

"What? Hey!" Lina yelled.

"No matter… redheads really aren't my type anyway…" Vireas sighed. "I'm much more into blondes…"

"W-what?" Gourry and Filia backed away a few steps.

"Huh? Geez, I wasn't talking about _you_! Gosh!" Vireas snapped.

"Still, I'm interested in how you got here, Vireas. Aren't you supposed to be kind of… _well_… dead?" Xellos asked.

"I dunno. All I remember is cornering ol' Ruby-Eyes and almost getting rid of him for good. And then… well… then Goldie shows up and starts yelling at me- well, yelling for her at least- and then I'm in this crystal and Goldie is still spouting some sort of nonsense about 'learning from my mistakes,' and 'not making the same mistakes again,' and so on and so forth, blah-blah-blah. I sort of stopped paying attention after a while. It got monotonous."

"Y-you! How dare you speak so lightly of the Lord of Nightmares? That's practically blasphemy!" Elmyria snapped.

"What? It's her own stupid fault I got stuck in that crystal in the first place." Vireas replied. "But, it doesn't really matter. She's got a soft spot for me." he grinned with that mischievous smile that he had been directing at Lina just a small time earlier. "She likes me."

"Like heck she does!" Xellos yelled.

"Oh, so I can't even mention Goldie's name, but you can go labelling her own emotions for her? Now I don't think that's fair, is it?" Vireas countered. He laughed, seeing Xellos' expression. "Hah! Ouch! Burn, Xellos!"

"Forget this. What happened _then_? What happened to the crystal?" Xellos growled.

"Oh, the crystal? Well, Goldie buried it way, waaaaay deep in the ground so that no one would be able to find it!" Vireas replied. "But, after a few thousand years, the rock cycle caused the gem to find its way to the surface, where a nice little jeweller happened to be collecting precious gemstones. Needless to say, I recognised him and he recognised me, and so he immediately brought me home and set about a way to revive me." Vireas replied with a smug grin.

"This jeweller… he was…" Lina began.

"Shichiro Hoseki?" Elmyria asked.

"Yes, though that was only his alias." Vireas replied.

"A…alias…?" El gasped.

"Yep. Phibby-chan knew exactly how to trick people, that's for sure." Vireas nodded. "I was surprised, but he even managed to trick all of you!"

"So… the jeweller was… _Phibrizzo_…?" Elmyria gasped.

"Yeah, I know. Shocking, isn't it?" Lina said.

"We were pretty stunned ourselves when he told us- after all he'd been travelling with us for a while." Zelgadis agreed.

"Oh yes, I was just getting to the part where you came in." Vireas replied. "You see, Phibby-chan seemed intent on reviving me at first, but I have a feeling it was a facade. You see, he seemed to lose interest over time. And when you guys showed up… well, let's say I couldn't hold a candle to the amusement he found in Lina Inverse- that's you, isn't it, Ginger? So, off he went to go destroy the world. Needless to say, it didn't work. Riko returned and informed me that he had been killed. So there I was, with no one to revive me again. It was quite boring, really. All Riko ever did was sleep. So, of course, three years later, Elmyria randomly shows up on my doorstep. From all the knowledge I'd gotten through Phibby-chan, I knew that she was one of Gaav's subordinates. I was really bored, so I thought I'd try to imitate Gaav's voice and convince her that I was him- just for a laugh. But when she fell for it hook, line, and sinker, I figured that maybe I could use that to convince her that she should revive me. After all, I didn't want to stay in that crystal. So I asked her, and she agreed right away! How fun is that?"

"So, you decided to trick us on a _whim_?" Elmyria choked.

"Well, yeah. A whim caused by boredom, mostly. But I had big plans for what I'd do after I was revived, so anything that would bring me closer to that goal was fine with me. That's why I manipulated you and Valgaav. Fun, right?" Vireas laughed.

"Not fun! You're terrible!" Amelia growled. "I can't believe you would lead them on like that! Deception is unjust!"

"Do I look like someone who cares about Justice, Princess? Really…" Vireas sighed.

"_Princess?_" Zelgadis asked.

"Yes, Demon-boy. You got a problem with your nicknames?" Vireas said with a grin.

"D-demon-boy…?" Zelgadis gasped. "How dare you-"

"Forget it, Zel!" Lina yelled. "What I'm interested in knowing is what you planned to do after you were revived!"

"What? Oh, that's simple! Take over the universe, of course!" Vireas replied.

"Th-the universe?" Filia gasped, clutching Val's egg tighter.

"That's right, Blondie #2." Vireas replied. "The whole universe. I'll pick up where I left off with that annoying Ruby-eyes, and then take care of Goldie next! Like I always told Phibby-chan- why destroy this world when you can take control of it, and _then_ destroy it if you want?"

"Y-you're going to do the same thing as before?" Lina gasped.

"Why?" Xellos asked.

"Why? Because it's fun, of course! So much fun!" Vireas laughed again. "What, you guys wanna help, or something?"

"Never!" Lina spat. "We're here to stop you! You're not leaving here! We won't let you get away with that!"

"What? You're going to fight me? Really?" Vireas groaned.

"Of course! You didn't think we were just going to let you take over the universe, did you?" Filia yelled.

"Aw, come on you guys. I thought we were friends. I don't want to fight you." Vireas sighed.

"Friends? As if! We'd never ally ourselves with the likes of you!" Lina yelled.

"Geez, being a little harsh there, are you Ginger? Ah, no matter. How about we compromise ? Rock-paper-scissors?"

Lina's eye twitched. "R-rock… paper… scissors…? You want to play _that_?"

"It may be childish, but it's fun. Do you want something more grown-up? Like checkers?" Vireas asked, looking somewhat puzzled.

"No! No games!" Lina spat.

"Aw come on, Ginger! Chess?"

"No."

"Brass Rackets?"

"Not happening."

"Hide-and-go-seek?"

"I said no!"

"Duck-duck-goose?"

"Not likely!"

"Poker?"

"I don't think so."

Vireas arched an eyebrow. "…strip poker?"

"YOU PERVERT! NO WAY!" Lina exclaimed, blushing.

"Okay, okay. You want to play something a bit more innocent, huh? How about pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey?" Vireas shrugged.

"We're not having a party, Vireas!" Xellos yelled.

"A party? Why not? A party would be a great idea!" Vireas pouted. "I can bring the drinks! I make a mean pineapple daiquiri!"

"Vireas, I thought your goal was to conquer this universe- not have a party!" Xellos exclaimed.

"It is! But I never said I didn't want to have fun while I did it." Vireas replied.

"Well there's not going to be any parties!" Lina snapped.

"Aw, that sucks. Parties are fun…" Vireas ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Ah, well, I'm bored already. This is no good at all. I hate being bored. What do you guys want to do?"

"We'll defeat _you_!" Lina snapped.

"Oh, okay. The fighting again, I see. Well, I suppose that, if there's no other option, we might as well. How about this- I'll let you have the first attack, Ginger. Sound good?" Vireas grinned.

"Sounds great." Lina said, though there was an evident edge of nervousness to her voice. She was getting a free shot- she had to make it count for all that it was worth.

"Lina, what are you going to do…?" Gourry whispered.

"I'm… I'm going to hit him with an amplified Dragon Slave." Lina replied quietly.

"Be sure to make this count. We have no idea what he might counter with after you attack him." Zelgadis advised.

"You don't have to tell me _that_." Lina replied.

"You gonna attack, Ginger, or just stand there having a little gossip-fest with your boy toys?" Vireas called.

"_Boy toys?_" Gourry growled. "Why you-"

"Keep quiet, Jellyfish. You're ruining my concentration." Lina whispered, pushing Gourry slightly away from Vireas. Gourry didn't care how powerful this guy was, he was just about ready to strangle him, and Lina didn't need her protector doing something foolish on her account.

Lina gripped her talismans determinedly. She had one shot at this. "_Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond…"_

Vireas stared at Lina while she recited the incantation, talismans glowing and hair flying. "What do you know…?" he murmured to himself, unable to contain a small, awkward smile. "…she really does… look _just like_…"

"_DRAGON SLAVE!" _

The explosion of the Dragon Slave blasted out in all directions. Lina made sure to protect her friends with a barrier, though it was obvious to see that the very centre of the explosion was placed exactly where she wanted it. Lina had hit her target perfectly.

"Th-that was… a direct hit…" Amelia gasped.

"Could someone have survived that?" Lorelei asked.

Lina blinked through the smoke. _Could _someone have survived that? Lina was pretty sure he could. Still, she had to know- where was Vireas? And what condition was he in?

The sound of laughter rang out around the group. The smoke cleared, and Vireas stood in the middle of the crater created by the massive spell. He had obviously just stood there and taken the hit- and yet there he was, not a scratch on him.

"That was cute, Goldie! Really cute!" he laughed. "Oh, wait! Oops, I mean, Ginger! Sorry, forgot who you were for a second there."

"H-huh…?" Lina gasped, remembering who he had called 'Goldie' before. That was his name for…

"He didn't take any damage? Impossible!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Extremely possible." Xellos replied. "After all, this is the person who was nearly able to destroy the Demon Lord Shabranigdo."

"Right you are, Xellos!" Vireas congratulated. "And now, allow me to have the pleasure of showing you how a _real_ attack is done!"

Lina took a step back.

"What… have we gotten ourselves into…?"

* * *

(A/N: Hehehe, Vireas is a fun character, as evil as he might be! He makes me laugh whenever I write him... XD)


	32. 32: Fighting an Invisible Foe

(Hello again! I'm alive! Long story short, this chapter was too long and I was too busy to have it done by Monday… so here it is now. *apologises profusely* I should have split this up into two chapters, but it wasn't quite long enough, and I couldn't find a good stopping point… so here is two chapters' worth of action at once! To make up for the day I missed… Do enjoy! And remember I don't own anything, I just enjoy torturing the characters! … although… after what Vireas is going to put them through, they might not mind _me_ so much anymore…)

* * *

**32- Fighting an Invisible Foe**

"What… have we gotten ourselves into…? Lina murmured.

Vireas laughed loudly. "I'll tell you what you've gotten yourself into, honey! You're about to learn that the greatest mistake any creature can possibly make is to challenge the one and only Pathosmaster Vireas! But since I like you so much, I think I'll teach you the easy way- that way there _will_ be a next time for you to learn from your mistakes!"

Lina literally had to grab Gourry by the arm at the word 'honey,' to keep him from doing something he'd probably regret. "Don't let him get to you." she hissed.

"But Lina, no one can say stuff like that to you!" Gourry growled.

"Yeah. Not even you." Lina reminded him.

"Exactly!"

"What's the matter? Is Blondie all upset now because someone's hitting on his girl? Come on, now- you can't possibly think that you're the only one who finds her attractive." Vireas chuckled.

"I… I…" Gourry began. "Y-you can just shut up! She's not interested in you, so kindly butt out!"

"Hey, hey. I thought we were past that archaic period where husbands made all the decisions for their wives. I think it's only fair to hear that from Ginger's mouth, don't you?" Vireas chided.

"Gourry's word is as good as mine!" Lina spat. "He may be a bit slow on occasion, but I love him, and if  
I'd wanted to be with anyone else, I wouldn't have married him- a commitment you don't seem to grasp the concept of!"

"Ouch. That's cold, Ginger. Though, respectable, I must admit. Alright then, I see what you're doing. It only gets me even more determined when a girl plays hard-to-get!"

"Hard-to…" Lina gasped. "Dang it, what is your problem? Why can't you just LEAVE ME ALONE? _FIREBALL_!"

"Okay, okay." Vireas replied, knocking aside the Fireball with a flick of his wrist. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to pick up with the whole lesson-teaching thing. But for that, I'll need a little help. It's so nice to see all my old minions again! Aw, look at you!" he began to coo, as if talking to a pet. "Have you gotten weaker since I've been away? I think you have. Poor little things! Don't worry- now that I'm here there's nothing to worry about!"

Amelia took a step back in trepidation. "Um… there's… nothing there…"

"Do you think he's gone totally insane…?" Filia asked.

"If you ask me, he was totally insane a long time ago." Gourry spat.

"Gourry, calm down." Zelgadis replied. "Do you think there could be something there that he can see and we can't?"

"Oh, most certainly." Xellos nodded. "You see, Vireas was always infamous for having an enormous, incredibly powerful network of invisible minions."

"I-invisible?" Elmyria choked.

"Precisely." Xellos nodded. "In ancient times, no one knew that much about them, so they assumed that his minions- '_pathogens,' _as they are called- had some sort of method of astral concealment, in which they were able to hide their presence from this plane."

"Really? They can do that?" Lina gasped.

"No, not really. It wasn't until later discoveries were made, that people really learned the true nature of Pathosmaster's subordinates." Xellos explained.

"Yeah, I always though pathogens were microscopic." Zara agreed.

"Right. They aren't concealed from this plane, they're simply too small to be viewed with the unaided eye." Xellos replied.

"But Vireas can see them?" Filia asked.

"Not only can he see them, Filia dear, but he can _control_ them as well." Xellos stated.

Zara let out a shriek, clutching Lina with a horrified expression. "Zara, what's wrong?" Lina gasped.

"L-Lina… do you KNOW how many microorganisms there are living on our skin _right now_?"

"Uh…" Lina herself began to look around. She felt her arms crawling, as though there were some sort of insects all over them, but when she looked down just to make sure, she realised it was all in her head.

"The little kid there is right." Vireas laughed, approaching the group. "They're all over the place. In the air, on your skin, within every pore of your body… and they're _all _under _my_ control."

Lina stiffened at the thought, staring up at the Dark Lord in fear. No wonder he was so powerful…

"But most of them are harmless!" Zara accused.

"Yep, right again, little guy. Say, you're pretty cute, you know that? Although, you do know how dangerous some of my minions are, don't you?" Vireas said.

Zara gulped, taking a small step back from Vireas. "Y-yes…" he murmured.

"Cool. Then let's try it." Vireas laughed. "Let's see, what should I give you…?"

"G-give me…?" Zara stammered, stepping back. Lina watched in horror, but she couldn't do anything. Zara began to choke, and then began to cough hysterically.

"Zara!" Lina gasped. "Zara! Please! Quit coughing! Breathe!"

Unfortunately, Zara couldn't seem to stop coughing- and that meant he _couldn't_ breathe. The little boy could only manage a few hurriedly gasped breaths between coughing fits, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that it wasn't enough. Vireas approached the boy and put a hand on his shoulder, bending down to his level. At the Dark Lord's touch, Zara suddenly was able to stop coughing- however, he was too busy trying to breathe to be able to say anything.

"You seem like a smart one." Vireas said. "Here's a quick quiz for you- _Bordetella pertussis._"

To Lina and the others, Vireas' "quiz" didn't even sound like a question, but Zara picked up on it immediately.

"Pertussis…" he replied breathlessly. "…a highly contagious… bacterial infection of the respiratory system… also known as 100 days' cough… or whooping cough…"

"Wow, you're good, kiddo." Vireas congratulated him. He began to say something else, but Zara cut him off.

"…however, it normally has an incubation period of around a week, plus another 10 to 12 days before the signature paroxysmal cough ensues. So how… how did you…?"

Vireas stood back up, laughing again. "Pfft~ Incubation period? What a laugh! That's something that came about as a result of their power being weakened due to my absence. With me here, there's no limit to how fast they can attack a person's body and produce symptoms! Fun, huh?"

"Wh-wha-" Zara choked, but didn't manage to make out even a whole word before he was consumed by convulsive coughing spasms once again.

"Zara!" Lina gasped, running and grabbing the boy, trying desperately to ease his coughing- to no avail. Finally, the poor boy's lungs gave out, and he managed to find a respite from the spastic coughing as he fell unconscious in Lina's arms. Lina's gasp was loud enough to fill the silence, however she noticed that, now that he was unconscious, he was breathing normally. Perhaps it was better this way… at least for the time being.

"What? He passed out already? Geez, that's not as fun. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wake him up sooner or later…" Vireas sighed. "Or perhaps I should try out some of my other diseases on some of you guys… let's see…" He scanned the group, looking at each person individually. "So…"

The whole group stiffened, waiting to see what the Dark Lord was going to do. "I wonder…" he continued. "…if brau demons can get sick…"

Zelgadis gasped, shuffling back a few steps, as it was obvious he'd been singled out. A defiant look on his face, he drew his sword threateningly. Vireas looked at the weapon for a second and laughed.

"Oh wow, that looks dangerous! You're gonna kill some bacteria with that pretty piece of metal? Oooh, we're so scared! _As if_! I'll teach you the real meaning of being a germophobe!"

"I'm not afraid of some little germs!" Zelgadis yelled, lunging forward with his sword. He suddenly stopped short, falling to the ground, shivering, his face suddenly hauntingly pale.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia shrieked.

"Zel!" Lina gasped. The two rushed to his side, grabbing him by the shoulders.

Zelgadis' gaze never wavered from the Dark Lord who was staring him down with equal intensity. "Y-you…" he coughed. "Wh-what… _*cough*_ did you…?" He lost the energy to say anything more, as he suddenly began to tremble convulsively.

"Zelgadis! What's wrong?" Amelia gasped.

"N-nothing…" Zelgadis muttered between coughs. "When did it suddenly get so cold?"

"You're _cold?_ Seems more like you're burning up, to me!" Lina said, pressing a hand to his pale forehead.

"I'll be fine…" Zelgadis murmured. He tried to stand up, but another coughing spasm sent him back to his knees. He covered his face with his hand, and as he pulled it away, was not as surprised as Amelia and Lina to see it stained with red. He'd been injured before, and knew the bitter taste of blood.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia gasped with a horrified expression.

Vireas seemed pleased with himself and began to talk again. "Let's see… who was our smart one again? Oh yes, you!" he turned to Zara who'd finally woken up, watching the scene with a horrified expression. "Let's see if you can get this one right- telltale symptoms: fatigue, pallor, chills, fever, coughing up blood… any guesses so far?"

"_Mycobacterium tuberculosis_, I presume." Zara growled angrily.

Vireas clapped happily. "Oh, wonderful! You're really on-the-ball tonight, kiddo! I wasn't sure whether it would have much of an effect on our demon friend, but it seems to have done really well." he smirked.

"You… haven't won yet…" Zelgadis growled, pulling himself to his feet, leaning heavily on his sword. "My human portion may be sick, but my demon fourth is completely healthy and itching to fight you!"

"Oh, yikes! You're tougher than you look!" Vireas exclaimed, in mock surprise. "Yeah, I figured as much. You know what? Why don't we all stop fighting and call it a day? I'll leave you guys alone, and you all leave me alone. Got it?"

"What do you mean?" Lina asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Vireas sighed, his voice softening to a level of empathy that the group hadn't imagined possible. "What I mean is, I've given you a little taste of how powerful I really am- so you shouldn't want to fight me if you have the will to live. I like you guys, and I don't really want to kill you. So I'm telling you…_ stop fighting_. It's better this way. You guys leave me alone to do whatever I want, and I won't hurt you. Okay?" He offered them a weak smile.

"Sorry, Vireas. But when it comes to our world, we're not going to stand by and let some high-and-mighty brat take it over! So we will never stop fighting you, no matter what you do to us! Got it?" Lina spat.

"Miss Lina is absolutely right! Those who fight for the cause of Justice cannot be defeated by small obstacles! We must band together for the sake of the greater good! Only then can we truly find our own strength!" Amelia exclaimed.

"What she said." Zelgadis added, finally able to stand without the help of his sword.

"Not to mention that I've got a personal grudge to settle with you… _Lord Gaav_…" Elmyria growled angrily.

Vireas looked back and forth over the group several times, not saying anything. No one seemed to feel like moving or changing their mind. Completely fed up with the whole things, Vireas finally yelled at them. "AAAH! FINE! Do whatever you stupid humans feel like! I don't care anymore!" He sighed dramatically and sat down on the ground, arms crossed, not moving from one spot.

"What's he doing? Just sitting there and pouting?" Zelgadis asked incredulously.

"Looks like it." Lina replied.

"This guy is _really_ immature." Lorelei said. "And people told me that_ I_ acted like such a kid…"

"Pathosmaster was always infamous for his childish temper. I've heard stories that when he didn't get what he wanted, he would sit and pout until someone gave it to him." Xellos whispered.

"Well, thinking logically, I doubt that anyone would ever deny him anything he wanted- he was probably spoiled rotten." Filia offered.

"Yeah. The only person who wouldn't give in to his orders would have to be someone as powerful, or even moreso than he was." Elmyria nodded. "Like Shabranigdo… or…"

"…or the Lord of Nightmares…" Lina agreed.

"So what do we do? Attack him while he's just sitting there like that?" Gourry asked, pulling out his replica Sword of Light with an eager expression on his face.

"I really don't see much other choice." Xellos nodded. "But let's attack together. As much as you'd personally like to settle with this guy, there's strength in numbers."

"You got it! Zel! Help me out!" Gourry called. "_Light come forth!_"

"Right behind you, Gourry!" Zelgadis called, following his companion with his own sword. "_Astral Vine!" _he shouted, causing a flash of red light to surround his sword.

The two swordsmen attacked Vireas at once, coming at him from both sides. The Dark Lord, who was still sulking, didn't even have to open his eyes. Both attacks were instantly deflected, sending Gourry and Zel flying back.

"Dang it! He deflected our swords effortlessly!" Zelgadis cursed.

"I won't let this jerk get away with this!" Gourry growled, rushing toward Vireas again. He struck over and over at the invisible barrier that surrounded his opponent, but to no avail. Vireas opened his eyes slightly, staring in amusement at the young man who was trying to attack him with no success.

"Having some trouble there, Blondie?" he asked.

"YOU SHUT UP!" Gourry yelled, striking once more against the barrier with all his anger and frustration. This time, it cracked slightly, a tiny fracture visible against Vireas' imperceptible barricade.

The Dark Lord's eyes flew open in surprise, but his shock quickly turned to a look of irritation as he stood up. "So… that's how you want to play it, huh? Okay. We can play it that way." He held out his hand and materialised a large, sharp red staff. Vireas ran quickly, attempting to fight with Gourry sword-to-sword.

Gourry managed to fight back rather well- Vireas might be a powerful Dark Lord, but there were still few that could match Gourry's powerful swordfighting techniques. However, despite his strategic disadvantage, Vireas was physically a great deal stronger than his opponent. Seeing his chance when his opponent struck just a tad bit too close, Vireas grabbed Gourry's sword by the hilt, causing the light of the sword to dissipate. He held the swordsman threateningly- an odd position, given the fact that Gourry was quite a bit taller than Vireas. But Vireas was in control, and had his own weapon, which he eagerly shoved in Gourry's face.

"I know I said before that I didn't want to kill any of you guys, but unfortunately for you, Blondie, you've gotten on my last nerve, and I can't stand it when people get on my last nerve." Vireas growled through his teeth. "So now…"

Lina stood in absolute horror, unable to move. Terrifying memories flooded through her head- all the times anyone had threatened Gourry's life… there were so many people… and now she was adding Vireas to the list…

"G-GOURRY! NO!" Lina managed to choke. "LET GO OF HIM! PLEASE!"

Vireas looked up from his current task, and paused, looking back and forth between Lina and Gourry. He eventually sighed, tossing Gourry to the ground several feet away. "You're awfully lucky that you've got Ginger on your side."

Gourry just nodded wordlessly, unable to take in what was happening. The one thing he was aware of was Lina, rushing to his side and throwing her arms around him.

"I thought… for a second… that he… was going to kill you…" Lina sobbed.

"Uh… i-it's okay…" Gourry stammered, still not quite sure what was going on.

"Awwww… isn't that touching?" Vireas exclaimed. "Ya know, Ginger,_ I_ could always give you a shoulder to cry on as well."

Lina looked up, staring daggers at him. "Over my dead body."

"Well, you being dead just sounds like no fun." Vireas sighed. "Oh well. Now that you've had that little scare, are you ready to give up?"

"Never." Lina scowled.

Vireas groaned. "What is with you guys? What will it take to get you to leave me alone?"

"Nothing short of our own deaths!" Amelia shouted. "Because a true warrior of Justice fights to the bitter end for the purpose of righteousness, no matter what the cost!"

"You're pretty annoying, aren't you, Princess?" Vireas sighed, grabbing Amelia by the front of her shirt.

"HEY! DON'T TOUCH HER!" Zelgadis snapped, striking out with his sword. Vireas created another barrier and deflected the attack, sending the chimera flying back.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia gasped. She turned her attention back to her captor. "Pathosmaster Vireas! Your methods and intentions are completely and totally unjust! You misuse your power to hurt others! Repent of your evil ways and we will cease to fight you! But if you continue your walk down the road of evil, then we shall have no choice but to strike you down!"

"I guess you've got no choice than to keep fighting me, then." Vireas sighed. "Because there's no freaking way that I'm going to become a goody-two-shoes like you. That's for sure!"

Amelia and Vireas continued arguing while the others watched, their minds racing. "El-chan," Xellos began. "I have an idea, but it won't work while Vireas has Amelia. Could you get him to let go of her so that I can land an attack?"

Elmyria looked up at Xellos for a moment, and then nodded. "Right. You've got it, Onii-sama."

"Wonderful! We're counting on you, El-chan!" Xellos exclaimed, disappearing from view.

"Wh-where'd he go?" Filia asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea." Lina admitted.

"Hey! Vireas!" Elmyria yelled. She created a bright flash of light that held Vireas' attention for a few moments. He dropped Amelia to the ground and she instinctively got as far away from him as she could.

"Elmyria, what in the world was that? You didn't even fire any kind of attack." Vireas asked.

"That? Oh, just a distraction." a voice behind him answered. Vireas turned around quickly, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid the assault of swirling dark cones that was fired at him from behind. He actually screamed as the attack made contact, attempting to tear his physical form apart at the seams.

"How… do you… like that…?" Xellos breathed, appearing a short distance away, leaning heavily on his staff for support.

"Xellos!" Filia gasped, running up beside him. "Are… are you hurt…?"

"No, Filia dear, it's just… after firing an attack like that… well, much of my energy is spent." Xellos replied, beginning to straighten up again. "But not for long." He grinned at the dragon. "I recover fast."

"Not fast enough!"

"FILIA, LOOK OUT!" Xellos quickly pushed Filia out of the way, making sure to be careful of the Ancient Dragon egg that she was cradling in her arms. There was a deafening explosion behind them, and Filia gasped.

Vireas stood at the centre of the attack, eyeing the pair with rapt attention. "So…" he began breathlessly. "It would seem… that I severely underestimated you… Xellos… That is no good at all… You're much more powerful than I thought possible…"

"What do you plan to do about it?" Xellos asked, seeming pleased that his attack had somehow managed to actually put a scratch on the impervious Dark Lord.

"What? Oh, well, that's simple really." Vireas laughed, his voice erratic. "I'm done playing nice-guy. I'm done. If you guys are so eager to seek your own deaths, then who am I to argue? Don't let the door hit you on the way out, and all those niceties. I. Am. Done." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "…and now that I'm done… I'LL BLAST YOU ALL TO SMITHEREENS!"

Vireas lost all reservations about throwing attacks. He created enormous explosions left and right, causing the opposition to have trouble dodging them all. Suddenly, he was interrupted by a small sound. Looking down, he saw a small animal looking up at him for direction. Riko was staring with an obvious 'what-do-you-want-_me_-to-do?' look in her eyes.

Vireas considered her for a moment. He held another attack in his hands, threatening to fire it.  
"Get lost, shrimp! I'm an all-powerful Dark Lord! I don't have the time to deal with weak lesser monsters who aren't even strong enough to take a human form!" He released the attack he'd been holding, attempting to get rid of whatever nuisance was in his way.

"Hey! Kitty! Look out!"

There was another explosion, that easily drowned out Lina's scream. "ZARA!" she yelled, rushing through the smoke to the spot where the little boy sat, grasping a surprised, but unharmed Riko.

"Zara, what were you thinking? That attack could have completely destroyed you if it had hit you!" Lina exclaimed, pulling the boy into a hug, cat and all.

"I had to save the kitty. He was gonna kill her." Zara replied, looking down and stroking the cat affectionately.

"Zara, she's an evil cat!"

"No… she was just following orders, like any good lower-ranking monster." Zara replied. "She was loyal to her master- it's her master that was the bad one. So bad, that he even betrayed her." The boy turned his attention back to the cat, continuing to pet her comfortingly. "Poor kitty… you were the only one who knew who really was in that book, weren't you? And you worked for him, and… and now he repaid you by trying to kill you. That's not fair."

Despite the things that Riko had put them through, Lina was still moved by Zara's compassion for the animal- and the look on Riko's face made it clear that she felt the same way. The cat reached up and gave the boy a grateful lick on the cheek. Zara giggled at the feel of the cat's rough tongue. Lina sighed, realising that she probably couldn't do anything about it. Now that Hellmaster was dead and Pathosmaster had no use for her, Riko seemed to be gravitating toward Zara. And monsters were always frightfully loyal to whatever master they chose.

_Zara.. how is it that you have the odd ability to make everyone you meet fall in love with you?" _Lina silently wondered.

Vireas seemed to be ignoring the small group for the moment and was directing his attacks other directions.

"Hey! Lina! A little help would be nice" Zelgadis called.

"Oh! Right!" Lina nodded, jumping up and rushing to her friends' sides. "I have an idea, and I'm not sure whether it'll work, but it seems like our best option."

"Well, I'm interested in hearing it." Zelgadis replied.

"Okay… so… since there isn't a single attack powerful enough to take him down- well… minus maybe the Giga Slave, but that's _not_ an option- I started to wonder how Vireas would stand up to all of our most powerful attacks _put together_."

"A joint attack of our most powerful spells? That's deceptively simple enough to possibly work perfectly…" Zelgadis murmured. "I know that Amelia and I have the Ra Tilt, and when we put it together it gets even more powerful."

"Right! And I've got the Ragna Blade, and Gourry has the replica Sword of Light." Lina nodded. "Now I'm starting to become sure this will work."

"Of course there's one problem for you." Zelgadis continued.

"Wh-what?" Lina gasped, not having foreseen any problems.

Zelgadis smirked. "You won't get to be the big hero all by yourself this time."

Lina almost laughed. "While that may be true," she began with a smile, "I'll live with it… if it means that I'll _be able_ to live at all."

"Good." Zelgadis nodded. "Let's tell the others."

Surprisingly, no one was sceptical of Lina's plan. Anything that offered them the hope of defeating the evil Dark Lord was something promising. Vireas paused from his attacks, seeing them discussing something.

"What's up you guys? You're not fighting back."

"Actually Vireas, we were just about to!" Lina exclaimed, turning around.

"_Lord of dreams that terrify  
sword of cold and darkness  
free yourself from the heavens bonds  
become one with my power ,one with my body  
and let us walk the path of destruction together  
power that can even smash the souls of the gods-  
__**RAGNA BLADE!**__"_

Vireas stood, staring in complete disbelief. "N-no…" he murmured. "It's not possible… that power you have… no human should be able to wield that…" He stared at Lina, her hair flying, her face illuminated by the light shed from the blade she held in her hand. "I knew it… I knew it… Ginger, you really _are_ …"

"Everyone! You've got to put everything you have into this shot! It's not going to work if you don't! Use all your strength and don't even think about holding back! It's all or nothing!" Lina yelled, holding the blade of thrashing darkness firmly in her hand.

Vireas backed away slightly, eyeing the attack warily. "huh… n-no matter… it's fine… you can just try to defeat me… I WANT TO SEE YOU TRY!"

"Then you _will_ get to see us try! TAKE THIS!"Lina yelled, raising the Ragna Blade. Elmyria and Lorelei worked together to fire a large, dark attack, while Zara prepared a Dragon Slave and Riko used what magic she could, focusing on aiding the little boy. Filia used a powerful holy spell and Amelia and Zelgadis worked together to create a double Ra Tilt. Xellos put all of his energy into the powerful conical barrage he had used before, and Gourry was able to shoot an enormous beam of energy from the replica Sword of Light.

"He's all yours, Lina!" Gourry called.

Lina jumped into the giant cloud of smoke that had ensued from the explosion, using her sharp senses to direct her straight to her target. Finally, she hit what she was aiming for. She buried the dark blade directly into her opponent, inciting an agonized scream.

"YOU… WON'T… WIN…" Vireas yelled.

"Sorry, but we're not the type to give up, no matter how hard the going gets." Lina said. "_RAGNA BLADE!"_

The darkness seethed from the sword, causing both the victim and the wielder to yell in response.

The giant blast spread out in all directions. Lina and her friends were quickly knocked unconscious as the flickering form of the powerful Dark Lord dissipated and finally disappeared into the darkness of the night.

* * *

(A/N: Wow, I had fun with the diseases in this chapter. I was on the Disease Detectives team in Science Olympiad in middle school, so this was a serious blast from the past. And the best part is, that as I was writing that part, my grandmother got an e-mail from my Science Olympiad coach, saying that she had my name down for next year's Disease Detectives team, if I wanted to do it. Boy, do I ever! ^_^ So, bye until Monday~)


	33. 33: End or Beginning?

Hello again, everyone who happens to be reading this story! The fact that anyone has actually read this far is amazing! I'm thrilled! XD So… let's pick up where we left off with the last chapter- I still don't own anything, I just enjoy thinking up situations and putting the poor characters in them! *evil laugh*

So, enjoy the story, and do let me know what you think of it! Thank you!

* * *

**33- End of the Battle, Beginning of the War**

"Lina! Lina! Wake up! Lina!"

Lina opened her eyes slowly, looking around. "Wha… what happened…? I struck Vireas with the Ragna Blade, and then… then…" She blinked. "Vireas? What happened to him?"

"He's gone! Just completely vanished into thin air! Good riddance, I say!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"Are you okay, Lina?" Gourry asked in concern. "Everyone was knocked out- even Xellos!"

"I'm fine…" Lina replied, taking Gourry's hand and standing up. She brushed a thin layer of snow off her clothes. "I assume everyone else is…?"

"We're fine." Zelgadis nodded.

"See! I told you! In the end, Justice always triumphs!" Amelia agreed.

"So then… Vireas is…" Lina began, looking around.

"Gone! Just disappeared!" Filia exclaimed.

Lina looked shocked for a moment. "Gone…?" she murmured slowly. "Really? Gourry did you hear that?" She smiled brightly.

"I know, I know! I'm just as glad to be rid of him as you are!"

Filia smiled happily, seeing the celebrating couple. She cast a sidelong glance at Xellos, who was standing on the side of the lake, gazing at the dark water with a serious expression. He seemed to be the only one not celebrating. She moved closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "…Xellos…?" she murmured.

"He's not gone." Xellos stated, without even looking up.

"Hmm…? Excuse me?" Filia questioned.

"He's not gone." Xellos repeated firmly.

"Who's not gone? You mean Vireas? B-but… but he…" Filia stammered, completely confused at Xellos' behaviour.

"No…" Xellos paused for a moment. "Er, this isn't exactly a pressing concern at the moment, though! Perhaps we'd better decide what we're going to do next. Especially what's going to happen to _these two_…" He motioned toward Elmyria, and then to Zara, who was still holding Riko protectively.

"Erm… I… well…" Elmyria stammered, not sure what she was supposed to say.

"Elmyria," Xellos began, looking down into her eyes. "You've been through a lot these past few months… and you've put _us_ through a lot as well. Because of you, I've been put in some personal situations that I'm apparently _never_ going to be allowed to live down. All in all, I'd say you've been a very naughty little monster, huh?"

Elmyria bowed her head. "Xellos… I… I just… I'm sorry… I know there are no excuses to justify my conduct… I was acting on pure emotion… and, well… I can't… I just… um… I truly regret everything… I was being foolish… I'm sorry…"

Xellos stared at Elmyria for a second. "Well… I've got to figure out what I'm going to do… I've been talking it over with Lord Beastmaster… seeing as how my apprentice is getting older and becoming more independent," he paused and glanced proudly at Lorelei, who beamed in response. "I'm going to need an assistant… someone who can help me out while I'm working… it wouldn't be a very high-ranking position, but if work is done well, then that monster could easily gain Lord Beastmaster's favour… I don't know if you'd know of any monsters who could do that job, do you…?"

"X-Xellos… you…" Elmyria gasped. "Y-you really mean…?"

"I asked you a question, El-chan. I'm waiting for an answer." Xellos continued, a smile on his face.

"Xellos," Elmyria began, bowing. "If you would accept me, I would be privileged and honoured to serve as your assistant. And, in light of recent events, you would have my complete and total loyalty. I swear it."

"Good girl!" Xellos congratulated, giving Elmyria a pat on the head. "That's what I like to hear!"

Elmyria flushed sheepishly. "…thank you… for doing this… you really don't have to…"

"Well, it's preferable to have you up and about doing things, rather than sitting in a prison all day being useless." Xellos shrugged.

"Thank you… anyway…" Elmyria replied.

"Um… El-chan… er, can I call you that?"

Elmyria turned around. "You can call me whatever you want, Lorelei."

"Well… uh…" Lorelei began nervously. "Um… I'm… I'm sorry that I… kind of went berserk and tried to murder you back there…"

Elmyria shook her head. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. You had sufficient provocation. Me? I need to apologise… I'm sorry that I… turned your mentor into a human…" she shot an embarrassed glance at Xellos. "…and sorry that I said you were not fit to be his apprentice. That was untrue. And… sorry about all the times I tried to kill you… uh…"

Lorelei put a hand on Elmyria's shoulder. "El-chan, I think we'll get along just fine from here on out." she said with a smile and a wink. "That is, unless you get on my nerves."

Elmyria actually smiled slightly in return. "I'll try not to."

"And it seems that Valgaav is in capable hands as well." Xellos nodded.

"_Val_." Filia corrected. "But yes. I'm not going to let anything happen to him this time- I promise."

"Uh… Miss Filia…" Elmyria murmured nervously. "I… um… I'm sorry…"

"I know. It's alright." Filia assured her. "Really."

"Well… and… um, you see… Valga- er, _Val, _was like… like a little brother to me… so if you ever need any help with him at all… well… you can always ask me. I'd be happy to-"

"Oh Elmyria!" Filia exclaimed, giving the monster a hug. Elmyria stiffened, but didn't say anything.

"Still, Elmyria," Xellos began, fixing a cold stare on her. She separated herself from Filia and turned her attention back to Xellos. "Despite what you've obviously learned from this experience, this does not erase what has happened in the past. You will not gain back all trust that easily, I'm afraid. We're going to be keeping a close eye on you for a while- at least until you've proven yourself trustworthy again."

Elmyria nodded solemnly. "I understand. I am fully prepared to take responsibility for my irresponsible actions. I will do whatever it takes to regain your trust…" She murmured sadly under her breath, "…who else will trust me?"

"Well, it looks like that's that." Lina said, coming between the two.

"There's still that cat who was working with them." Lorelei pointed out.

"Oh yeah… _her_…" Lina began.

"Lina…" Zara asked, holding the cat closely, looking up with a hopeful expression. "C-can… can we keep her…? Please?"

Lina stiffened. "K-keep her? As in… like a pet?"

"She'd be good. She's not a dangerous monster. I promise." Zara argued. "And I'd take good care of her."

"I… uh…" Lina had to admit, she wasn't crazy about the idea. But the way Zara was looking at her… and the way that cat was looking at her too! She couldn't say no…

"I think she's kind of cute, to tell the truth." Gourry mentioned.

Lina sighed. "I suppose we could keep her around for a while. But the minute she so much as scratches my kotatsu, she's going to be an outdoor cat. Permanently. Got it?"

"Yay! Oh, thank you, Lina!" Zara exclaimed happily, spinning Riko around. The cat didn't seem like she was thrilled to be treated like a simple animal, but she tolerated it for Zara's sake.

"How wonderful!" Amelia exclaimed. "Everyone who was once on the side of evil has been brought to the side of Justice!"

"It's a happy ending!" Filia agreed.

"I'm afraid not, Filia dear." Xellos said sternly. All the attention went directly to him.

"Wha… what do you mean, it's not?" Lina asked.

"Well… erm… you see…" Xellos began. "When Vireas disappeared… he wasn't… he wasn't destroyed."

"Wasn't destroyed? What does that mean?" Lina asked.

"It means… it means that he's not gone for good. He'll be back. Soon."

"_WHAT?"_

The entire group stood up, staring in absolute shock. "N-no," Xellos continued, waving his hands to calm them down. "Not _soon,_ soon. Just… eventually. Not that we'll have to worry about him today or tomorrow, or even next week… but… he's not gone. And we need to find him before…" Xellos' voice trailed off.

"XELLOS!" Lina gasped. "H-how could you not mention this earlier?"

"W-well… we had more pressing concerns…" Xellos stammered.

"Well, explain this whole situation! It seems that you know much more than we do- and we need to hear what's going on!" Zelgadis snapped angrily. "What's all this about Vireas coming back…_ soon_?"

"Uh… it's a very complex situation… perhaps you should get some rest and then we can discuss it?" Xellos suggested.

"No. As completely and utterly exhausted beyond belief as I am, I'd never be able to get to sleep with this hanging over my head. Tell us. Now." Lina commanded.

"Alright, let's sit down… and then we can get to the details of the situation…"

* * *

"So, first of all, how the heck could Vireas still be alive? You saw what happened." Lina began.

"Well, it's a very complicated matter, Miss Lina, and I would have a hard time explaining one aspect without telling the whole situation." Xellos replied.

"Then tell us the whole situation! Don't waste time rattling on like this!" Zelgadis growled.

"Basically, the main issue is that Vireas is not dead." Xellos said.

"_How_?" Lina demanded again.

"Um… like I said… it's complicated." Xellos replied.

"Well, if so, then start explaining." Lina sighed.

"Let's see… well, I guess it is sort of like the situation we dealt with regarding the Red Priest Rezo…"

"Why is it that everything we deal with somehow relates back to Rezo?" Zelgadis groaned.

"Well, the situation Rezo created in making the Hellmaster's Jar was something that other humans wished to emulate, and other beings have already done. Vireas, for instance can transfer his spirit into another object if his physical body is in danger of getting destroyed. Once he does that, he simply hides and waits until he has recovered enough strength to resurface and continue his attack. It's quite dangerous, really." Xellos replied.

"So, you're saying that we almost managed to destroy him, so he ran to hide until he could come back and attack us again with his full strength?" Lina gasped.

"His full strength, and perhaps then some." Xellos nodded.

"Th-that's horrifying!" Amelia gasped.

"That's_ cheating_." Lorelei pouted.

"There is no cheating in taking over the world, Lorelei dear. Only creative methods." Xellos said with a smile.

"THIS IS NOT SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT!" Lina growled. "How could you be so nonchalant about this! Vireas is still out there! He could attack at any time! What is the matter with you?"

"Miss Lina, it's not going to be that soon. A Dark Lord like Vireas would take a very long time to regain his strength." Xellos replied.

"Then how long?" Lina asked.

"Oh… probably about three weeks, at the least. Four or four and a half if we're lucky." Xellos stated.

"So we have a little less than a month." Filia said.

"Well, that is, unless we can find Vireas before he regains all of his strength and destroy him before he is able to come back." Xellos replied.

"We can destroy him? What do you mean by that?" Amelia asked.

"Well, the situation Vireas has put himself in, is rather advantageous to us. You see, if we can destroy the object he resides in before he is released, then we'll have destroyed him as well." Xellos continued.

"Really?" Lina asked sceptically.

"Yes, really. That's why it was such a risky move for Vireas to do this." Xellos nodded.

"But what exactly is he hiding in?" Amelia asked. "Another crystal, or some kind of jar, or something?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Xellos admitted.

"No idea? None at all?" Lina gasped.

"Nope. Sorry." Xellos apologised.

"So… he could be in anything?" Gourry asked.

"Well, yes, but…" Xellos began.

"So he could be in that tree over there!" Gourry interrupted.

"Um, in theory, he could… however, that's not-"

"Or that bush?"

"Yes, the bush too… but he wouldn't-"

"Ooh! That snowflake that falling right there!" Gourry pointed.

"Idiot! There's a billion snowflakes falling right now!" Lina chided.

"That's why it's a good hiding place." Gourry replied with an innocent smile. Lina groaned, slapping her face with her hand.

"Well, that may be true that he could be residing within any of those objects… but really, I doubt he would be." Xellos replied. "You see, because of the situation, he wouldn't want to hide within an object that would be easy to destroy. No, he'd pick a much more durable object that he thinks we _can't _destroy."

"Oh…" Gourry nodded, thinking for a moment. "You mean… like something as big as a mountain?"

"Possibly." Xellos shrugged.

"Oh, come on. With a well-aimed Dragon Slave, I can take out a mountain." Lina assured them.

"Besides, whatever object he takes over, we'd definitely be able to sense him- right?" Amelia asked. "We'd be able to see some sort of evidence of his presence."

"Nope. It's not that he's taken control of the object, it's that he's hiding within the object. That means that there will be no outward signs- physical or magical. In fact, he could even be hiding within a living creature and the creature would have no idea that he was resting within it." Xellos continued.

Amelia nearly choked. "R-really? No idea at all?"

"Yes. The animal could go about its daily life- it could eat, sleep, reproduce-"

"XELLOS! Keep this G-rated! Please!" Lina snapped, making a grab for Zara.

"I'm just saying- it wouldn't affect the creature or its offspring in any way!" Xellos defended.

"So you think he could be hiding within some sort of animal?" Zelgadis asked.

"No, not really. Living creatures are simply too fragile. If the creature he inhabited was to die, then he'd certainly be in a bad situation, wouldn't he?" Xellos replied with a wink.

"THEN WHAT'S WITH THE R-RATED COMMENTARY?" Lina growled.

"I was just emphasising how little effect that Vireas would have on whatever object he resided in." Xellos said. "I didn't think it was that bad."

"Don't worry about it. Lina's just sensitive about that sort of thing." Gourry reassured him.

"I AM _NOT_!" Lina defended.

"Yeah, Miss Lina. The way you're attached to Zara-chan, I thought you loved children." Amelia replied.

"I… I_ do_ love children…" Lina stammered. "I just… er… um… that's complicated…"

"Uh, forget this. Let's see… what are we going to do now?" Gourry asked, changing the subject for Lina's sake.

"Yes, what is to be done now?" Filia agreed.

"Well, let's see…" Xellos began. "First thing is to organise a search. We'll have to work hard if we want to find this-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! WHOA!" Lina yelled, cutting Xellos off. "You're talking about doing all this… right now?"

"Well, time is of the essence…" Xellos murmured.

"Are you serious? I've just spent, like, two whole months chasing down these stupid relic things trying to stop this guy from being revived, and then I have to fight him when he_ is_ revived, and now you're telling me that I have to keep working to play some sort of high stakes game of hide-and-go-seek in order to defeat him once and for all? I don't think so! Not right away! I am tired, and fed up with this whole deal! In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been to my own _house_ in a freaking month! I want to go to my own home, eat at my own table, sleep in my own bed…" Lina's voice trailed off as she fell to her knees in exhaustion.

"I agree. Amelia and I have been away from Seyruun much too long as well… As much as you need us, we can't stay gone forever." Zelgadis agreed. "We happen to have responsibilities, unlike _you_."

"And I need to get back to my shop." Filia added. "With all the insanity going on, I haven't had the time to send any letters to Jillas or Gravos. They must be worried out of their minds."

"I'll say." Lorelei nodded.

"Well… I suppose…I suppose that we could take a break for maybe a week or so… but…" Xellos murmured, pausing for a moment.

"But what?" Amelia asked.

"Well… you see… now that Vireas has been released- even though he is in hiding, his influence over his former minions is strong. This will cause lots of outbreaks of disease… plagues… epidemics… you get the picture." Xellos said. "I'd watch out for your health if I were you."

"Hah~ I'm Lina Inverse. I don't get sick." Lina exclaimed. "And we don't have to worry about Gourry either- haven't you ever heard that idiots don't catch colds?"

"Really? They don't? Wow, that explains a lot!" Gourry exclaimed.

"I know, right?" Lina laughed. "Anyway, idiot, we have a lot of sleep to catch up on. And then… then we'll go home…" she yawned, already half asleep on her companion's shoulder.

"I'd say that sleep is well-deserved." Gourry agreed, stroking her hair lightly.

"Yeah… even _I'm _sleepy…" Zara replied, yawning as well. The cat in his arms mimicked him and began to fall asleep as well- er, the closest thing a lazy monster could come to, anyway.

"And tomorrow you can go back home… and I'll begin some investigating…" Xellos replied, watching the group settle down for what was left of the night.

"Sorry, Filia dear…" he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. "…but you were wrong. This isn't a happy ending. This… is just the beginning…"

* * *

(A/N: 33 chapters, and it's just the beginning? *slams head on keyboard*Seriously, though, I think it's more like the beginning of the end… wait, did that make any sense? I don't know… ack! Anyway, now that the story has reached this point, I'm going to be taking a short break to catch up on some writing. I should be back in a week or two to continue the story as it spirals off into another arc… oh man, when I started this story, I knew it was going to be long, but not like _this_! Still, I knew that Vireas was too smart to make the mistake of coming right back so that he could be fully defeated… no, he's got some more plans up his sleeve, which Lina and the others are going to have to figure out how to deal with… so the story's not wrapping up just yet! ^_^)


	34. 34: Home Again

I'm back! Wow, I gave myself a break, and got so much writing done! Thus, we continue onward with the story! Yay~! As per the usual disclaimer, I don't own the characters, I'm just torturing them for fun. Though in this chapter, they get to have more fun! Yay!

(A/N: In this chapter the dates and chronology of the story are discussed, so I've used a real calendar year to base the dates off of. The winter of 1999-2000 had four full moons, with the blue moon falling on the 19th of February - so that's the lunar calendar I'm using as a reference for whatever year it is in the Slayers world. That puts the date in this chapter about the 20th-21st of February, and the beginning of the story somewhere around very late November… So when dates are discussed in this chapter, that's what they are referring to. It's less complicated than it sounds!)

* * *

**34- Home Again**

It took them the better part of the next day (after sleeping in rather late) to get home- with Filia's help, of course. Luckily for Lina and Gourry, they were just in time for dinner.

"Gourry! Quit stealing off my plate!"

"I'm not stealing off yours! You're the one stealing off mine!"

"No, that's mine!"

"It's mine!"

Zara watched the pair with an amused expression. They were so much fun to be around- even after all that had happened, no matter how exhausted they still were, they still had the energy to fight over a big plate of spaghetti.

Well, that was Lina and Gourry for you.

"Zara, tell me, which plate belongs to who?" Lina asked, trying to use a napkin to clean tomato sauce out of her hair.

"Uh… I dunno… I wasn't paying attention to that…" Zara shrugged.

"Crap. You're supposed to be the referee, darn it!" Lina exclaimed, grabbing for both plates of pasta.

"There is no referee! A food battle has no rules!" Gourry replied, trying to snatch the plates back. The two went back to their ravenous eating, not even taking time out to say anything more to each other.

Eventually all the spaghetti was gone ('leftovers' was a phrase that was _never_ used in Lina and Gourry's household), and a very tired family decided that bedtime was quickly approaching.

* * *

"Man~ I'm so glad to be home. You know, nothing ever seems quite as comfortable as your own bed, right?" Lina sighed, falling back onto the bed happily.

"Yeah, especially when you've been sleeping on the ground!" Gourry laughed.

"Quite right, quite right." Lina nodded. She got up and sat next to Gourry, leaning on his shoulder. "So, how long exactly has it been since we've been alone like this?"

"I don't know." Gourry said. He looked up with his eyes closed, appearing to be in deep thought. Finally, he appeared to have come to a conclusion. "Too long!" he exclaimed.

Lina burst out laughing. "Wonderful! Nice job, jellyfish-brain! Remind me not to put you in charge of our calendar, got it?"

"I-I can figure it out! Hold on!" Gourry defended. "Let's see… it was back before we left for Seyruun, when Zara was hurt… um… back when you went after that group of bandits and we got rained on… what was that, like, two months ago? Almost three?"

"I can't remember." Lina replied, shaking her head. "Uh, let's see… we were back at our house with everyone about a month ago… and it was maybe a month and a half-ish… possibly two… before that when we left for Seyruun…"

"Or… we could go by our calendar that we haven't bothered to change." Gourry pointed. "Look, it still says 'November.' What month is it now?"

Lina glanced at the calendar on the wall, very obviously neglected for several months. "This month? It's Jan- no, February. February. Dang, I can't believe that."

"I know. That's like… three whole months!" Gourry exclaimed.

"Well, it was almost December when we left … but yeah, I suppose you're right… that's still nearly three months. Maybe a week or so less." Lina sighed. They were both silent for a moment, before Gourry decided to open his mouth again.

"Saving the world is a time-consuming process, isn't it?"

Lina burst out laughing again. "Gourry, I love you! Your comments never cease to make me laugh!"

"H-hey!" Gourry protested.

"That was a compliment, idiot!" Lina explained, grabbing some of his hair and pulling it.

"Oh- ow!- okay! Well then, thank you!" Gourry laughed.

"You are very welcome." Lina replied, reaching up and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Gourry looked as though he wanted to return the favour, but the two were interrupted.

"Lina! Gourry! Good night!"

"Zara! Good night to you as well!" Lina said, pulling the boy into a tight hug, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead.. Released from Lina's grip, he stood up on the bed and was able to give Gourry a hug as well.

"G'night little guy." Gourry said. "Hope you sleep well tonight."

"I'm so tired, I'm sure I will." Zara nodded. "I don't think anything would be able to wake me up."

"Anything?" Gourry inquired.

"Yeah, anything." Zara nodded, yawning.

"That's good. Really good." Gourry said with a grin.

_WHACK! _

"Ow~! What was that for?" Gourry asked, after getting hit in the face with a pillow.

"Don't talk like that." Lina hissed.

"What do you mean? All I said was- oh! Lina! I didn't mean it like-"

_WHACK!_

"Ow! Again with the pillow! Two can play at that game, you know!" Gourry complained, grabbing another pillow off the bed and tossing it at Lina. Zara giggled, watching the two fighting with pillows, not quite sure what had caused the two to start fighting.

"So, it's a pillow fight you want, huh?" Lina asked, a look of determination on her face.

"Pillow fight?" Zara asked.

"Yeah. Don't you know what a pillow fight is?" Gourry asked.

Zara shook his head.

Lina gasped loudly. "You mean you've never had a pillow fight before? No way! I am such a _terrible _mother! Come here, let me teach you about this."

Forgetting his exhaustion for the moment, Zara sat down next to Lina, who handed him a small pillow.

"Now, a pillow fight is just like a regular fight, only less painful and more fun." Lina explained. Zara looked somewhat puzzled, so she continued. "Basically the pillow is your weapon. You try to hit the other people with it as much as possibly until they surrender. Got it?"

"So… you just hit people with pillows?" Zara asked.

"Exactly." Lina nodded.

"Oh, okay…" Zara replied. "You mean… like this?"

_WHACK~!_

Lina was knocked off the side of the bed, and began to get up, clutching her head painfully. "Dang, kid- You're good at this already!"

"I-I'm sorry, Lina!" Zara gasped.

"Don't be sorry! That was_ awesome_!" Lina exclaimed. "Come on! I'm just getting started!"

The threesome began to attack each other with pillows, laughing the whole time. It seemed to completely evaporate all the stress that had built up the past three months. Even Zara and Gourry couldn't argue the release of stress that came with hitting other people with some sort of object, soft as they might be.

Eventually, Lina seemed to decide that they had fought enough, and it was time for a break.

"Lina calls time-out~!" she exclaimed, sitting down on the bed breathlessly.

"I agree." Gourry said, sitting next to her. "What about you, Zara?"

They received no answer, as the boy was already fast asleep, curled up on the bed, hugging the pillow tightly.

"Aww, the poor little guy. He did say that he was exhausted." Lina sighed. "Should I take him back to his room?"

"I'll take him. You can stay here." Gourry said, carefully picking up the little boy, murmuring quietly to him. "Zara, wake up. Come on. We're going back to your room. You can sleep there, okay?" Gourry turned back to Lina. "Don't you fall asleep on me before I get back."

"I won't." Lina promised. She waited for a few minutes before her companion returned to the room, closing the door behind him. "So, did you get him to wake up a little?" she asked.

"Nope, not at all. He was out like a light. I guess he wasn't kidding about being tired." Gourry replied.

"The poor kid." Lina sighed. "And it's all my fault he got put through this mess…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Gourry exclaimed. "Your fault? How was any of that mess possibly your fault?"

"Not the situation, Gourry… it's just… Zara was dragged into a lot of dangerous situations for the simple reason that he's my son, even if it's not by blood relation… Let's face it, when I joked earlier about being a terrible mother, I could have been serious because it's true." Lina sighed sadly.

"Lina!" Gourry said, sitting beside her, wrapping his arms around her. "It isn't. You know it isn't. You are a _wonderful_ mother- I'm sure Zara would say so, and I know that I'd agree with him. It's not your own fault or by your own choice that you're very… er… danger-prone. I mean, you _do_ consciously cause damage on occasion," Gourry dodged another pillow. "-b-but it's nothing that would hurt Zara! You love him, and you do everything you can to protect him. You go on and on about how dangerous you make his life, but you've got to think. I mean, for pete's sake, he's half-human and half-monster. A kid like that _wouldn't_ be safe, no matter what family he lives with. If anything, you make his life _safer _by being around to make sure he doesn't get killed. Don't you think so?"

Lina turned to Gourry with a grateful expression. "Thanks… I guess I hadn't thought about it that way… but still… I'm just concerned… what about a kid who wasn't half monster- just a normal human?"

"But Lina, Zara _is_ half-monster." Gourry replied.

"_Not Zara, you idiot!" _Lina exclaimed, giving Gourry a knock over the head. "I'm just talking… hypothetically."

"Hypo…thetically…? I don't… I'm not sure what you… OH!" Gourry exclaimed suddenly.

"You can't possibly tell me that you've forgotten all that you and Zara have been bothering me about lately." Lina sighed.

"Of course I haven't forgotten!" Gourry defended. "Besides, didn't we say we'd talk about it now?"

"That was when we were under the assumption that the world would be safe by this point, and not in grave danger of being conquered by an insane Dark Lord. Unfortunately, that's not the case."

"Oh. Darn…" Gourry sighed, looking disappointed.

Lina considered changing her mind for a moment, seeing how Gourry reacted. "Hey, it's alright." she said with a sympathetic smile. "I mean, it's not like I'm opposed to the idea- it would be a lot of fun if we ever ran into that Wizer jerk again- and from what Xellos has told us, it might not be much of a hassle to get rid of what's left of Vireas if we can find him fast enough… so maybe this whole thing will blow over soon. We've already had our fair share of fighting- I think we deserve to be able to end this quickly and continue on with our lives, don't you?"

"Right." Gourry nodded, smiling again.

"Good!" Lina exclaimed, glad to see a smile on his face. "Well, since I don't feel much like conversation after all that… I guess _now_…"

"Now_ what_?" Gourry inquired expectantly. He was surprised to find a pillow shoved in his face.

"Rematch. I want one." Lina declared.

Gourry grabbed for his own pillow. "If it's a rematch you want, then it's a rematch you'll get!" he laughed.

* * *

"Lina~! Gourry~! Wake up! It's morning~!"

Lina and Gourry were awoken by a small voice calling to them. Zara jumped on their bed excitedly. "Wake up! Wake up!" he continued.

"Well, you're up with the sun, as per usual." Lina groaned, sitting up. However, Zara's bright expression caused her demeanour to soften slightly, and she smiled at him, playing with his messed-up hair. "…or, is it the other way around, you adorable little thing? I swear, for someone who hardly moves at all in his sleep, you have the worst bed-head of anyone I've ever seen."

Zara blushed. "It does it on its own." he defended.

"You know what? I'll bet his hair has a mind of its own. I know mine does." Gourry added.

"That's a scary thought." Lina said, grabbing a handful of Gourry's long, golden hair and tugging on it slightly. "You've got so much of the stuff, it's just a mess."

"You think I should cut it?" Gourry inquired.

Lina shot a warning glare at him. "_Never_." she said seriously.

"O-okay…" Gourry stammered, backing away slightly. Lina always seemed to get kind of scary whenever the topic of cutting his hair came up. He had a feeling that, if he ever did it, she might not forgive him.

"Anyway, I do feel a lot better this morning. I think a good night's sleep was really what we needed." Lina said, yawning.

"If you're not tired anymore, then why are you yawning?" Zara asked.

"I said I felt better, I didn't say I wasn't tired." Lina replied. "You fell asleep before we did anyway."

"I guess I did…" Zara murmured. "Did you guys stay up late?"

"Er… uh… sort of…" Lina responded.

"Doing what?"

Lina and Gourry shot each other a glance. After a long pause, Lina finally answered with "We had a pillow fight rematch."

"Oh." Zara said. "That it?"

"Don't you have breakfast to cook?" Lina asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Oh! Right! Breakfast! What do you guys want?" Zara jumped up excitedly.

"It doesn't really matter. Any kind of food will do." Gourry shrugged.

"I think we still have some pancake mix in the cabinets… there might not be anything good left around here… it sucks that we have to be gone so long- we had to leave all our food behind, dang it!"

"Pancakes, then. That sounds good." Zara said with a smile. "I'll get right to work on it! I'll call you when they're done!"

"Cool! Thanks!" Lina called back. She sighed happily and fell back onto the bed.

"Topic change. Nice save." Gourry commented.

"Yeah, whatever." Lina replied. "I can't wait for some food. Sleeping has made me feel better, but I'm still hungry!"

"Glad to see you're back to normal." Gourry laughed.

"Me too, Gourry. Me too." Lina nodded.

* * *

After breakfast, they decided that they should stop by the town to check up on their friends and figure out what they were going to do next. It was Monday, so all the shops should be in business.

"Zara, you're not bringing that cat." Lina stated bluntly.

"Aww, but I thought Miss Imia and Emily would love to meet Riko-chan!" Zara whined.

"Personally, I think Riko looks a lot more comfortable asleep on the couch." Gourry mentioned. Sure enough, the feline creature had made herself right at home on their comfy piece of furniture.

"Like I said before, she's fine to make herself comfortable on every piece of furniture in the house- except the kotatsu. That, she can keep her dirty paws off of." Lina stated, turning to leave.

"Bye, Riko-chan! Keep an eye on the house for us while we're gone!" Zara waved.

The cat simply yawned in response.

* * *

"Hey, G'morning! Sorry to randomly stop by, but we were back in the area, and figured we'd come and visit!" Lina called, entering the bakery.

"Oh, Lina! Gourry! Zara! Welcome back, you guys!"

Lina and Gourry focused their attention on the young man behind the counter. "Hey, Emil." Gourry said. "What're you doing working the counter? That's not your usual job."

"Oh, well… you see, Imia's upstairs." he replied, motioning to the living space above the 1st floor bakery. "She's with Emily- the poor girl has come down with some sort of cold or flu, and she's been in bed for a while."

Lina and Gourry exchanged a glance. "Yikes, that sounds terrible." Lina exclaimed. "When did she start getting sick?"

"Oh, about yesterday, midday. Apparently a bunch of people around town got sick overnight, and Emily must have caught the same thing."

"Sick _overnight_? Like, the night before last?" Lina gasped.

"Yeah, it was really weird, because they can't figure out where it came from." the man shrugged. "There wasn't anything to cause it, and they were almost all healthy people too. It seems like whatever it is, it's something really contagious, because it's been spreading. A few shops even decided not to open today."

"That sounds… scary…" Lina murmured.

"Lina! Is it that guy's fault?" Zara asked. Lina and Gourry knew who 'that guy' was, but Emil seemed confused.

"What guy?" he asked.

"Uh… no one important!" Lina lied. "Do you think we'd be allowed to give Emily a visit, just to let her know we're thinking about her and want her to feel better?"

Emil smiled. "I think she'd really appreciate that, you guys- though I don't want you all getting sick too."

"Nonsense! We'll be fine!" Lina assured him. They were about to turn toward the staircase in the back, but were suddenly interrupted by a little boy who came running down the stairs as fast as his legs would take him.

"Daddy~!" he shrieked. "Daddy!"

"Erik? What's the matter?" Emil asked, approaching his son and bending down to the three-year-old's level.

"Daddy…" Erik began again breathlessly. "Mommy… passed out… won't wake up… help!"

A look of shock passed around the room. "Imia…" Emil gasped. He was on his feet in a matter of seconds, rushing toward the stairs. Lina followed after him.

"Gourry, can you stay down here and watch the store with Zara and Erik?" she called.

"Uh, okay!" Gourry replied, somewhat disappointed to be left behind.

* * *

Lina and Emil made it upstairs to Emily's bedroom, where the little girl was frantically calling to her mother, who had fallen unconscious at the foot of the bed.

"Imia!" Emil exclaimed, rushing to her side. He checked to see what was wrong with her- trying to find something he could do. Lina sat by the panicking girl for a moment.

"Emily, are you okay?" she asked.

"Y-yes… Miss Lina…" Emily sobbed. "B-but Mommy…"

"It's alright. She's asleep. She's got a pretty high fever, though." Emil spoke up, an evident look of relief on his face. "Emily, how long ago did she pass out?"

"Just now…" Emily replied. "Erik ran to get you…"

"I see." Emil nodded. "I think it might be best if we get Mommy to her own bed, okay Emily?"

The girl nodded. "Okay…"

"It'll be alright." Lina said, comforting the girl as Emil carried his wife back to their own bedroom. Lina's mind was racing, but she kept herself focused on the little girl at the moment. "Emily, do you feel sick?"

"Y-yeah… a little…" Emily replied.

"Where does it hurt?"

The girl paused a moment. "Um… my head… my throat… uh…"

"I see." Lina nodded, beginning to work a healing spell on the girl. Emily didn't seem to be any stranger to that type of spell, as she leaned into it in hopes that it would help even more that way. The spell finally dissipated, and the girl sat back. "Did that help?" Lina asked.

Emily shook her head. "A little, but not much… not like it usually does…"

"Oh…" Lina nodded. _It's just like I thought! Vireas has to be behind this- that's why a normal healing spell isn't going to do much good against it! That's a scary thought right there…_

Lina cast a simple sleeping spell on the girl instead, and she fell into a content slumber. Pulling the covers up around Emily, Lina left the room to join Emil and Imia.

"I cast a sleeping spell on Emily- she should be safely asleep for the next couple of hours, at least." Lina explained, entering the room. Emil had put Imia in bed, pulling up the blankets around her. Emil was staring at the woman with a pained expression that Lina immediately recognised- she'd seen it on Gourry plenty of times before.

"Hey, don't worry so much. She'll be fine- she just needs some rest is all." Lina said, attempting to comfort her concerned friend.

"Thanks, Lina." Emil sighed. "I guess I'm just worried that…"

"Well, I would use a healing spell on her, but I already tried it with Emily and it didn't work."

"It didn't?" Emil gasped. "Th-that can't be!"

"Well, you see…" Lina sighed, realising she'd have to explain the story to him. "The reason why all these diseases are appearing is because… the night before last- the night everyone got sick- an ancient Dark Lord by the name of Pathosmaster Vireas was resurrected into this world, bringing along with him the ability to manipulate pathogens and disease."

Emil stared at Lina for a moment, wide-eyed. He seemed to be waiting for something- a punch line maybe- but when he received nothing but Lina's serious stare, he continued. "S-seriously…?"

"Yes." Lina nodded gravely. "We fought him- my friends and I did. It took all of our power combined simply to seal him away… but he still has power over his minions, and that's causing diseases to pop up suddenly."

"Isn't there anything that can be done about it?" Emil asked.

"Well… we're really not sure… but we're working on it." Lina sighed. "You really don't need to worry about it too much, though. Just focus on your family for now."

"Right…" Emil nodded. "Uh… Lina? What are you and Gourry planning to do now?"

"Us? Well… we're not really sure… we don't have any real plans, to tell the truth…" Lina admitted.

"Then… can I ask you a _huge_ favour?" Emil requested sheepishly.

"Sure- what is it?" Lina replied.

"Well…" Emil got up and pulled a large book out of the closet. "You see, I have a cousin who needs this book- it has a lot of important family documents, files, and photographs contained in it… I was going to take it to him myself this week, since it's much too risky to mail it, but… I can't go _now_…"

"I see. So you're going to ask us to deliver it? Okay! We'd be glad to! Where does your cousin live?" Lina asked.

"Really? You would? That's so kind of you! He lives in the country of Taforashia… if it's too far out of your way, I understand… I can always-"

"Taforashia?" Lina asked. "Oh! That's no problem! We can take it there! In fact, we actually have a friend in Taforashia…" Lina paused for a moment as it dawned on her. "…who knows a whole lot about diseases and plagues… Emil! You're a genius!" She grabbed her friend's hand and shook it excitedly.

"H-huh? Well, er… you'd really be doing me a big favour by delivering it…"

"Of course! You've done us a big favour by asking! Thanks so much!" Lina enthused.

Emil looked puzzled as he watched Lina say a few comforting words and a goodbye to her unconscious friend. It was obvious that Lina was concerned about Imia's well-being, but knew that simply staying here was not going to help her illness. The sorceress managed to pull herself away from her friend and ran downstairs with a determined look on her face.

"Gourry!" Lina called as she bounded down the staircase. "I know where we're going next!"

"Huh? What?" Gourry asked, turning his attention from the two young boys. Zara and Erik's attention went to Lina as well.

"We're going to Taforashia!" Lina exclaimed. "We've got a book to deliver, and a stuffed animal to visit!"

* * *

(A/N: Yep, plagues and diseases… how could I keep our little stuffed animal friend out of this story? XD)


	35. 35: The Plague Ensues

Chapter 35? Goodness, this is a long story! (As I have mentioned again and again…) Any, as per usual, I don't own the characters, just my OCs and so on, etcetera. Enjoy the story, though!

(A/N: I looked for information regarding the Durum Plague, but had trouble finding any, so from what I've seen on the anime, it seems to be a- most likely bacterial- disease of the respiratory system, so I'm writing under that assumption. Do let me know if there's information that states otherwise!)

* * *

**35- The Plague Ensues**

The road to Taforashia was longer than they had expected- it took the group all of three days before they reached the outskirts of the once-sealed-away country. Still, they managed to reach it with little difficulty.

They had stopped to rest just outside the boundaries of the country, and Zara decided that he wanted to explore just a little bit.

"Okay, just don't go far. We're not staying here long." Lina instructed.

"Got it!" Zara replied happily. He ran off, his boots crunching through the slushy, melting snow underfoot. He loved exploring new places- mostly to make note of the different flora and fauna found in a region. One might not expect to find anything out and about in the snow like this, but Zara knew better. This was when some of the most interesting adaptations presented themselves. He wondered just what kinds of animals he'd find around Taforashia.

He never expected to find_ that_ animal in particular.

Zara eyed a small creature that seemed to be gliding though the air. _A bird…? _he thought. _No, it can't be a bird… it seems to have distinctly mammalian features… but what is it…?_

The small animal seemed to notice the boy staring at him, and turned around. "Hey! You there! Little kid! Where'd you come from?"

"IT TALKS!" Zara gasped, nearly falling over.

"Well, look at that. So do you." Pokota joked, approaching the boy. "I ask again, where did you come from?" He got a little bit closer, eyeing Zara suspiciously. "Say… you look kind of familiar… haven't I seen you somewhere before…?"

"Hey…" Zara began, staring at Pokota. He picked up the animal and began tugging at his ears and looking him over with a curious expression- much to Pokota's annoyance. "…you're that little animal that Lina knows! Pokota! I remember you!"

"L-let me go!" Pokota exclaimed, and Zara acquiesced. "You are… you're Lina's apprentice, aren't you? I've seen you once before, I believe. The kid who's half-monster and chronically afraid of everything?"

"So it _is_ you!" Zara laughed. "Pokota, I didn't remember you were so cute!" Pokota continued to be annoyed with the kid, but didn't say anything. "Lina and Gourry are looking for you!" Zara said.

"They are?" Pokota questioned.

"Yeah! That's why we're on our way to Taforashia!" Zara replied.

"I see… well, it's a good thing you found me, then. I've been away from Taforashia for the past week or so- I'm just getting back myself." Pokota explained.

"Really? Where'd you go?"

"Oh, just some diplomatic mission to strengthen foreign ties. I am a prince, you know."

"Whoa~ That's so cool!" Zara exclaimed. "Oh, Lina and Gourry are nearby! Come on! We can all go back to Taforashia together!" He grabbed the small animal and began running in the direction that he had come from. Pokota protested being held like a stuffed toy, but Zara payed him no mind.

* * *

"I told Zara not to go far… maybe I should go looking for him…" Lina murmured, looking around.

"That's odd. Usually he's a really good listener. It's not like him to disobey you. You think he's in trouble or something?" Gourry asked.

Lina shot a panicked look at her companion. "H-he wouldn't be in danger! …Would he?"

"Hey! Lina! Gourry!"

Lina evidently sighed at the sounds of the child's voice. "He wouldn't." she stated definitively.

"Lina, Gourry! I found Pokota!" Zara exclaimed happily, approaching the two with an excited expression.

"Y-you found Pokota?" Lina gasped.

"Y-yeah! He found me! So now could you please let me go, kid? Seriously!" The little animal squirmed in the child's arm and finally broke free. "Geez, you're as bad as Lina!"

"And what might _that_ mean…?" Lina demanded, grabbing Pokota by his ears.

"See?" Pokota exclaimed. "What are you guys doing here anyway?"

"Us?" Lina asked. "Well… that's kind of a long story. A really long story."

"A really, really long story!" Zara agreed.

"It is?" Gourry asked. "I thought we were just here to deliver the book to Emil's cousin."

"You idiot!" Lina yelled, hitting him over the head. "We're also here to ask him questions about all the problems being caused by you-know-who!"

"Who?" Pokota questioned.

"I know what?" Gourry asked.

"What are we talking about?" Zara said, looking around.

Lina groaned, her face falling into her hand. "Geez, you guys… you can't be that stupid…" She turned her attention to Pokota again. "Anyway, before we get into our situation, what about you? What are you doing here? We certainly didn't expect to see you until we got into Taforashia. Why are you out here?"

"Oh, me? I was visiting Zoana on a diplomatic mission. I visited with the King and Queen, and discussed certain issues facing our countries, seeing as we're allies… To tell the truth, I think the two of them found it as boring as I did…" Pokota admitted.

"Those two? Oh, I know they found it boring." Lina replied. "We're actually quite familiar with that pair."

"Martina and Zangulus? Really? How?" Pokota asked.

"That's… another long story…" Lina sighed. "So how are they doing? Still as crazy as I remember?"

"C-crazy? Well… as a prince… I can't really…" Pokota stammered.

"No one's listening but us. You can say whatever you want. We won't tell." Lina told him.

"Well…" Pokota seemed hesitant for a moment, but then finally spoke again. "Those two… are both completely insane. And their kids aren't much better either."

"K-kids?" Lina stammered. "They have children?"

"Of course! They have, like, six of them!" Pokota replied.

"_Six_?" Lina gasped, a horrified expression on her face. "Now that's really insane! I like kids and everything, but that's way too many! I think two is enough for anyone!"

Pokota glanced around warily. "…two?" he asked.

"What's wrong?" Lina questioned.

"The only one I see right now is Zara…" Pokota said, still looking around nervously. He turned his attention on Lina. "You're not…"

"Wh-what? No-no-no! Two was just a number I was throwing out there! It doesn't mean anything- particularly for me! No! Of course not!" Lina stammered, blushing.

"Oh." Pokota sighed. "Oh man, thank goodness! I was worried there for a second! That's a relief!"

"Wh-what do you mean 'that's a relief?" Lina growled, grabbing Pokota by the ears again.

"I'm just saying that, if you had children, I wouldn't want to hang around them. They might be crazy, just like their mother." Pokota replied.

Lina seemed indignant. "My children will_ not_ be cra-" she paused for a minute, as though she was just realising something. "H-HEY! _I'm _not crazy!"

Pokota smirked at how Lina had missed that part of the sentence- and she called _Gourry_ a jellyfish! For a split second he wondered if she had simply been so quick to jump to her hypothetical children's defence, that she completely missed a blatant insult to herself. Pokota began to think maybe she wouldn't be _that _terrible of a mother… Or maybe she was just catching Gourry's idiocy. Yeah, that was probably it.

"Calm down, Lina. It's alright." Gourry said, putting a hand on Lina's shoulder in an attempt to keep her from lashing out at Pokota.

"R-right. I'm sorry, Lina. That was rude of me. I shouldn't joke about stuff like that." Pokota admitted sheepishly.

"Darn right that was rude of you." Lina spat. "I'll have to remember that you're the type to keep my kids away from. You'd be a bad influence."

"Hey!" Pokota growled. "Anyway, you talk rather definitively about having kids- as if it was something that was already decided." He stared at her for another long moment. "…you sure you're not-"

"POKOTA!" Lina yelled, grabbing him in a headlock. "I'M SURE!"

"Positive?" Pokota continued.

"YE- well… there's nothing that indicates otherwise, at least." Lina sighed, tossing Pokota aside.

"I get it. You don't look it, after all." Pokota nodded.

"What do you mean by _that_? You mean I'm thin, right?" Lina demanded.

"Thin? More like scrawny! You're like a stick!" Pokota laughed.

Lina's eye twitched. "Wh-what did you say…?"

Pokota smirked, seeing that he'd gotten on Lina's nerves. "And also, not only would you not be that thin, you wouldn't be that_ flat_ ei-"

"C'MERE YOU LITTLE ANIMAL! YOU'VE GOT A DEATH WISH AGAIN, HAVEN'T YOU?" Lina chased Pokota around, trying to capture him, while the two swapped insults some more. Gourry and Zara just watched the scene unfold.

"Geez, Pokota sure likes getting on Lina's nerves… some things never change…" Gourry sighed.

"Gourry," Zara began. "Do you think it would be nice if we could bring Pokota home with us and keep him as a pet? I'm sure Riko would like him."

"Uh, no, Zara. Just… _no_." Gourry said, patting the boy's head apologetically. "He's a prince, so we can't take him away from his country. They need him."

"Oh, I see." Zara nodded.

"And also…" Gourry bent down and whispered into Zara's ear. "One time someone actually _did _try to keep him as a pet… apparently her tea parties scarred him for life, and now he can never drink tea again."

"Whoa…" Zara replied, his eyes widening. "Yeah… maybe the whole pet thing isn't a good idea after all…"

"GET BACK HERE YOU ANNOYING LITTLE ANIMAL! I'M GOING TO STRANGLE YOU!"

"If you're going to try to strangle me, then why should I let you?"

"Because I said so!"

"That's a terrible reason!"

"_You're_ a terrible reason!"

"That comeback made absolutely no sense!"

"W-well…" Lina stammered, blushing. "You're such an idiot that it's rubbing off on me! Thanks a lot, Pokota!"

"I am not! And even if I were, stupidity is not contagious! If you have it, then it's your own fault!" Pokota spat.

"Yeah, you tell her, Pokota!" Gourry exclaimed. "She's always blaming that kind of thing on me too! I may be an idiot, but it's not my fault whenever anyone else slips up!"

"Okay, okay. So I said something stupid. So what? I'm human too!" Lina sighed.

"That's hard to believe." Pokota commented. "And I'm going to keep a running tally. Back when you missed the comment about you being crazy, that was one. This is two."

"Fine, then! Keep your stupid tally! Let's forget this!" Lina yelled. "We need to get to Taforashia anyway. I think it's starting to snow!"

The entire group looked up. "Rain." Pokota corrected. "That's number three."

"It's precipitation, so who cares?" Lina asked. "And anyway, I was sure it was cold enough to be snow."

"Almost, but not quite." Pokota sighed. "Taforashia usually doesn't get much snowfall past mid-February. But if this rain keeps up through tonight, it could turn into freezing rain, or even hail or sleet, which would be pretty bad. We should hurry and get to the palace as fast as possible."

"Right. Your father could probably help us find Emil's cousin. C'mon, Gourry." Lina said, pulling her companion along with her.

"C-coming!" Gourry responded.

* * *

The group strolled around Taforashia, looking at the empty streets. The whole city was oddly quiet. "This is so weird. Where are all the people?" Gourry commented.

"I don't know. Everything was like normal when I left." Pokota replied.

"Pokota, how long have you been away?" Lina asked.

"Um… about a week. Why?" the animal replied.

"A week… so he would have left just before…" Lina murmured to herself.

"Just before what?" Pokota asked apprehensively.

"Erm, we'll talk about it later. Right now let's get to your place and figure out what's going on." Lina said.

"Okay… this is scary… the last time I ever saw the streets this deserted was…" Pokota paused in horror at the memories. "was…"

"Was what?" Zara asked.

"I think it's better not to ask, Zara." Lina said, taking the child's hand and pulling him along. She didn't need his childish lack of tactfulness to upset the prince. Something told her that he was going to be upset enough as it was…

* * *

"Ah! Your highness! You've come back! Thank goodness!" One of the palace guards greeted them. "Please, proceed to the conference hall. His Royal Highness is meeting with his chief advisor at the moment- you would be more than welcome to join. Your companions could stay here and-"

"If I'm going to meet with my father and my uncle, I'm going to bring my friends. They're trustworthy, and Taforashia owes a lot to them. You will not keep them out." Pokota shot back.

"O-oh, yes! Of course! Please though, do go ahead to the conference hall."

"Thank you." Pokota nodded.

"I wonder what the king and the count are discussing." Lina murmured. "Though I have a good guess…"

"A good guess?" Pokota gasped. "What could it possibly be? My dad and my uncle only meet in the conference hall on scheduled days- and today is not one of them! The only explanation could be that the country is in a state of emergency!" The stuffed animal looked very worried. Lina wished that she could do something to ease his fears, but she had a feeling that it was as bad as he feared it was…

Another guard introduced them into the large conference hall. "Your Highness, King Taforashia, and Count VanYoren, please welcome Prince Posel and honoured guests."

The two men turned around to see the group that walked in. Lina gasped when she saw them. Their faces were both etched over with worry- you could see it in their eyes. The king looked even older than he already was, and even the count's youthful face seemed to have worry lines in places that he hadn't before. Pokota immediately broke the formalities as he rushed toward the two.

"D-dad! Uncle Otto! Wh-what in the world is going on? What's happening?"

"Posel… you've returned…" the king murmured, a painful expression on his face. "It… it's terrible… you see…" he stopped as if he wasn't able to say anything else.

"Huh? What is it? What's wrong?" Pokota demanded, beginning to panic even more now.

"There's been… an outbreak… of disease…an epidemic…" the count began, glancing nervously at the piece of paper that he held in his hand.

"Disease…?" Pokota murmured nervously. "What kind… of disease…?"

"Er… it's apparently a bacterial infection of the upper respiratory system… it…" Otto said, seeming reluctant to continue. He swallowed. "It's… mainly an archaic form of the Durum Plague…"

Pokota's face looked stricken. "D-durum plague…? It can't be! Isn't there a cure for that? You can cure it, right?"

The king shook his head. "No. Like your uncle said, it's an archaic form. The pathogen does not respond to the cure the way the modern disease would… There are some cases of the more modern disease, in which the antibiotic does produce results… but they are not a large percentage."

"So there's nothing we can do?" Pokota gasped.

"Ugh- this must be Vireas' sick idea of irony!" Lina growled to herself. "How immature of him…"

"Is… is it bad? Bad like it was before?" Pokota stammered, hardly able to speak.

"Well…" Otto continued, glancing at his paper. "As far as the untreatable disease goes, the case-fatality rate is 76%…"

"_Seventy-six_…" Pokota choked.

"Also, it seems to be transferred not only through person-to-person contact, but also through the air. Though we can't be completely certain of the incubation period due to the fact that the period of exposure is, as of yet, unknown, it does appear that it is very short. It's estimated to be anywhere from several hours, to just a few minutes."

"_Minutes_?" Pokota gasped.

"Also, all healing spells that were supposed to negate the effects of the symptoms failed miserably…" the count sighed. "And if this keeps up without a cure being found soon… the effects could be…"

"…disastrous." Lina finished.

The king and the count stared at her for a moment. "…quite right." the king nodded.

"Listen, you guys. There's a lot more to this than you know." Lina continued.

"A lot more?" Pokota gasped. "Lina, what are you talking about?"

"I'll explain everything, don't worry." Lina assured him. "But first… you might want to sit down."

* * *

"So… you're saying that all the diseases here…" the king gasped. "…were created by this monster?"

"Not just a monster, a _Dark Lord_." Lina answered. "Pathosmaster Vireas, the controller of diseases and plagues."

"Th-that's awful…" Pokota choked.

"Yeah, awful is an understatement." Lina nodded. "This guy was the oldest and most powerful of the Dark Lords who served under Shabranigdo… and was supposedly destroyed by the Lord of Nightmares before the other Dark Lords, aside from Hellmaster Phibrizzo, were created. But for some reason… he wasn't…"

"You mean he still existed? Then why wasn't he a problem until now?" Pokota demanded.

"Well, you see, this whole time he was trapped inside a crystal. It was only four days ago when he was released from the crystal onto the world."

"Four days…" Otto murmured. "That's almost exactly when everything started…"

"We tried so hard to keep him from being revived, but had no luck… so we fought him, and nearly destroyed him… but…" Lina explained.

"But what?" the king asked.

"But after we all worked together to strike him with our most powerful attacks, I used the Ragna Blade on him and he disappeared… but apparently he's sealed himself up inside some object, and we have to find this object before he makes another appearance, or things could turn out badly…"

"What is his objective? To infect everyone with disease?" the count questioned.

"Well, that's simply a way to gain what he wants. Really, he just wants to take over the world." Lina replied.

"Then this is bad! Really bad!" Pokota exclaimed, jumping up onto the table. "This can't happen! There's got to be something we can do! Anything!"

"I don't know any other way of stopping it rather than to search for Vireas and destroy him once and for all."

"So that's what we have to do, huh…?" Pokota murmured. "Well, you can count me in! I'll do anything I can to help you!"

"Thanks, Pokota! We knew we could count on you to help! That's why we came! That… and…" Lina turned and rummaged through her bag, pulling out the book Emil had given her. "Could you give this to a man by the name of Willis Elrei?"

"Ah! I know him! He owns a confectionary near where I live!" Count Otto exclaimed. "I believe he did mention something about having a cousin that lived somewhere in the Kingdom of Seyruun…"

"Yeah. Sounds like good food runs in the family. His cousin owns a bakery in the village near where we live. It's about a day's journey from Seyruun City." Lina explained. "Emil was going to deliver this himself, but his wife and daughter both got sick and he couldn't leave… not with those two to worry about, plus his son and the bakery to take care of."

"The poor man." Otto sighed. "I suppose that means that these diseases have affected other areas as well-"

"Your highness! Count!" a member of the palace guard came running into the room, looking rather out of breath. "I've just received word on the status of the public health of neighbouring countries!"

"Ah, that's the information I sent for! What did you hear?" the king asked.

"Well, it seems that, although the Durum sickness is completely confined to Taforashia, other countries are experiencing epidemics that are just as virulent and deadly. Not one of the countries that was talked to reported an overall healthy population- if it was one disease in particular, we'd have to call it a pandemic… but…

"This is… terrible…" Otto gasped.

"Vireas' work, no doubt." Gourry commented.

The guard continued. "And it also has apparently sickened even the royal families of some nations! Ruvinagald, Dils, Ralteague, Seyruun…"

"SEYRUUN?" Lina, Gourry, Zara, exclaimed at once.

"Amelia! Zelgadis!" Pokota gasped. "Are they okay?"

"I'm afraid that I don't have specific information regarding that, prince. I'm terribly sorry…" the guard responded.

"Have you reported all the information?" the king demanded.

"Y-yes! All of it that I know!" the guard stammered in reply.

"Good. You may leave." the king nodded.

"We need to go to Seyruun City right away! What if something's happened to Amelia and Zelgadis?" Pokota exclaimed.

"Calm down, little guy. Don't get so worked up. We'll go very soon." Lina promised. She turned her attention to the king. "Would it be too much trouble to ask for transportation to Seyruun City?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed in reply. "We can have transportation arranged as early as tomorrow morning! In the meantime, you're welcome to stay at the palace while we do what we can to help the issue at hand…"

"Perfect! Thank you so much!" Lina exclaimed.

"Tomorrow morning?" Pokota gasped, looking upset.

"Pokota, we all need some rest- especially you, since you have been travelling. Let's stay the night and leave for Seyruun tomorrow morning." Lina said.

"Alright…" Pokota sighed.

* * *

Lina had _said _that they all needed some rest, but she didn't seem to be able to follow her own advice. She'd gotten a little bit of sleep, but woke up a short time later feeling achy and irritable. No sleep for her at the moment, she decided.

Lina went out to the balcony attached to the room she and Gourry shared in order to get some fresh air and calm down. _I wonder if I'm getting sick… _she thought to herself. She quickly shook her head. _Nah, can't be! I'm Lina Inverse! I don't get sick! _

Still, it made her think for a moment about how the Durum Plague was apparently an airborne disease. Perhaps the "fresh air" she was breathing wasn't so fresh after all… But Lina shook her head at that idea too. Bacteria needed warmth to grow, right? And it was so cold! Lina's own breath was making miniature clouds every few seconds. Pokota had been right about the freezing rain- it was still coming down and everything was being encased in a cover of ice. Lina was certainly glad that the balcony was covered- she could have never stepped out if it hadn't been. She shot a glance back through to window at Gourry, who was still sleeping like a rock. No aches or pains or bad moods to keep him awake, Lina laughed. She loved how easily he could fall asleep- it was almost kind of cute, when it wasn't annoying. Right now… it was cute.

Lina stood silently for a few moments, until she decided that it was cold enough that she was really looking forward to getting back into a warm bed with the comforting presence of someone beside her. She had just turned around to go back inside, when a noise caught her off guard. She flinched instinctively, and then tried to identify the sound. It was… someone clearing their voice…?

"_Hey there! Long time no see- er, speak, etcetera! How's it going? Whatcha' doing up so late at night_?"

Lina was too stunned to gasp or even scream. She stood still, trembling- she recognised that voice. She couldn't _not _recognise that voice…

Perhaps it had been a hallucination. Yeah! A stress-related hallucination! That was it! She stood still for another moment, just to make sure.

"_Hey! Yo! I'm talkin' to_ you_, sweetheart_!" the voice teased.

"M-me…" Lina stammered.

"_No, Ginger. The _other _drop-dead-gorgeous girl who I happen to know standing out on this balcony right now. You're a smart one! What do you think_?"

Breathing heavily, Lina turned around, completely terrified of the sight she couldn't bear to think could possibly be behind her.

"V-Vireas…?"

* * *

(A/N: What's this? A cliff-hanger? Ack, I'm so terrible! But seriously though, I love Vireas!)


	36. 36:The Stresses of Psychological Warfare

Hi there~! Chapter 36! Yay! (This one put my brother to sleep, so hopefully it's not that bad… heheh…) And a special note to the readers in the United States- Happy Memorial Day! ^_^

As per the normal disclaimer, I don't own the characters in any way, I'm just playing with them for fun!

* * *

**36- The Stresses of Psychological Warfare**

Breathing heavily, Lina turned around, completely terrified of the sight she couldn't bear to think could possibly be behind her.

"V-Vireas…?"

Nothing. There was nothing there. Lina almost sighed in relief, but Vireas' voice had been too real for her to ignore. She continued searching around her, just to see.

"_Even if you look around, you're not going to see me. I'm using telepathy, of course! I'm not ready to come out just yet- but trust me, I'll be there eventually, don't worry._"

"Telepathy…?" Lina gasped. Of course! That was it! "How are you able to communicate with me?"

"_When you hit me with that lovely Ragna Blade attack, you created a magical link, allowing our thoughts to be connected- how sweet of you! I'd never be able to talk to you otherwise! You're so thoughtful, Ginger, even when you're trying to kill people."_

Lina clenched her teeth. So it was the Ragna Blade that had done this, huh? Figures… "What do you want? Where the heck are you?"

"_Ooh, so now that_ I'm _the one playing hard-to-get, you're interested, are you? Hah! I knew it would happen_!" Vireas laughed.

"Tell me where you're hiding." Lina growled angrily.

"_Sorry, Ginger, but I can't let you know where I am just yet. Too risky for both of us, you know? So I'll just lie low for a little while- but don'tcha worry about me! I'll be around! I can talk to you on occasion. It'll be fun!"_

"V-Vireas? Tell me where you are! Vireas!" Lina yelled.

"_Sorry, Ginger, but no dice. You wanted to play hard-to-get? Now here's a taste of your own medicine. Hope it tastes sweet! Our reunion will be sweeter! I've got to go now, since the longer I'm consciously talking to you, the longer it'll be before I can come back. Be sure to take care of yourself and your family while I'm away! Especially the little one- now that's something I'll have to keep my eye on. Later!"_

Lina choked. "Z-Zara? You stay away from him! I'm telling you, if you lay one hand on that boy- if you so much as _think _about hurting him, I swear-"

"_Chill, Ginger! I didn't mean it like that! I was talking- oh never mind! We'll talk later! See ya~! G'bye! And good luck!" _

"W-wait! No! Come back! Vireas? VIREAS!" Lina screamed. She stood still for a few moments, but the voice never returned. Vireas was gone- or at least dormant again. Still, she couldn't believe what she'd heard. Was it real? She certainly hoped not. Lina walked to the edge of the balcony and clutched the icy railing, not caring how much the ice hurt her bare hand. What she'd heard from Vireas was disturbing, to say the least.

Zara? He was interested in Zara? What did he see in the boy? Lina was worried about that, though she also noticed that his last words were 'good luck.' And just what would she need good luck with?

Everything. She'd need luck with everything. This stupid Dark Lord seemed intent on making her life insane- but she was going to find him before he could do anything terrible. She'd destroy him- if it was the last thing she did, she'd destroy him once and for all!

Engrossed in her thoughts, Lina was not aware of anything around her- that is, she wasn't, until someone grabbed her from behind. She stiffened in fear, remembering Vireas' cold voice talking to her earlier.

"Hey there. What are you doing out here in the cold? You'll get sick, and if you're sick then there'll be no one to save us from monsters!" Gourry's voice nearly made Lina smile. He was so blunt and always had the funniest things to say.

Lina calmed down considerably , sighing with relief. Maybe it had been just a paranoia-induced hallucination. She was tired, cold, and irritable. Perhaps she should forget everything that had just happened…

"Lina? You okay? It's cold out here!" Gourry said again. "What's wrong with you? Why are you up so late? What happened to getting some rest?"

"Oh… sorry… I, uh… I was feeling kind of achy, so I stepped out to get some fresh air." Lina replied.

"Huh? Really? You're not getting sick, are you?" Gourry asked.

"No, idiot. I said 'achy', not 'sick."

"They're the same thing."

"No they are not! 'Achy' is… 'achy!' 'Sick' is… well… 'sick!' They're totally different!" Lina defended. "And anyway, what are you doing out here? Last time I checked you were out cold!"

"I got lonely." Gourry replied, shrugging.

"I was gone for fifteen minutes- and you were asleep for most of it." Lina replied.

"Well, it's still lonely." Gourry said. "Are you coming back inside, or not?"

"Of course I'm coming back inside, Jellyfish-brains. Why would I stay out here and become an ice sculpture? Use your head once in a while!" Lina laughed, and suddenly remembered her hands. They'd been sitting on the icy railing of the balcony so long that they'd become numb. She quickly pulled them away. "Anyway, you've got to let go of me for me to go back inside." Lina continued, pulling Gourry's arms from around her shoulders.

"Ah~! Ow! Lina, your hands are so cold!" Gourry gasped.

"Well of course they are! Everything out here is cold!" Lina replied. "That's why we need to get inside. Now."

"Okay then!" Gourry replied, following Lina inside. She closed the door, locked it, and after a moment of contemplation, closed the drapes for good measure.

"What's the matter, Lina?" Gourry asked, getting back in bed. "Something out there spook you? You looked so pale, I was really worried about you."

"Wha? Huh?" Lina stammered. She couldn't tell him that she was hearing voices of Dark Lords inside her head! That when she nearly defeated Vireas with the Ragna Blade, she had set up a mode of communication that the Dark Lord could use to infiltrate her mind and exact his psychological warfare upon her? Was that what it was? Psychological warfare? What if he was trying to drive her insane- or at least make everyone else _think _she was insane. What if he really was interested in Zara? What did he want with the boy? What if…

"Hey! Lina! Are you okay? You look like you're panicking about something!" Gourry exclaimed.

"What? Panicking? Oh, no! No! I'm fine, really! I was just pale because of the cold! That's it! No problem! Nothing's wrong at all!"

Gourry looked unconvinced, but decided that whatever had scared Lina, it was her business. "Well if you're really that cold, then you should come and get back in bed. I'll make sure you're warm again right away!" He smiled comfortingly.

Lina laughed, despite her insecurities. "That would be nice of you. Thanks!"

Lina tried to fall asleep again, thinking only of the warmth and companionship that she had with the swordsman beside her, but unfortunately her mind was not going to shut out what had happened so easily.

All she could think about was how much she _hated _Vireas. Usually when Lina hated something or someone, she attacked them and blew them up into little tiny pieces. And if she really hated them, she'd blow up the little pieces as well. But Vireas… he wasn't that simple. He was like Phibrizzo- he knew how to get to her, and that was what she hated. If it was only the fact that he wanted to take over the world, that would put him in the same category as so many other opponents she'd faced.

But no. Vireas had his own way of getting on Lina's nerves and messing with her so that she was unable to think about anything else. Psychological warfare, indeed.

Finally, Lina fell into a deep, yet fitful sleep.

* * *

She woke up the next morning with a headache, and Pokota yelling at her that they didn't have all day to let her sleep in.

What a wonderful way to start the morning.

Her head wasn't bothering her nearly as much as the pain-in-the-neck stuffed animal that was still yelling at her. Had he been taking speech lessons from Amelia?

Lina batted him aside. "Outta my face, stuffed animal. You're making me sick to my stomach."

"I don't need your complaints! There are people out there who have _real_ illnesses to worry about!" Pokota spat.

Lina reminded herself that he was right. There were people who were actually sick- not just disturbed by the psychological stresses of having telepathic links with obnoxious Dark Lords.

Actually, now that she thought about it, Lina actually envied the people who only had the Durum Plague to worry about.

"Right, don't worry, I'm getting up. Geez, don't be so pushy." Lina replied, getting up out of her bed. She began to walk, but suddenly almost fell, and had to grasp the wall for support.

"Lina!" Gourry- already awake and dressed- rushed to her side. "Are you _okay_?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… Fine…" Lina nodded.

"You don't look fine to me." Pokota said. "You look pretty sick, to tell the truth."

"I'm not sick." Lina growled.

"Well I should hope not." Pokota replied. "We've got places to be. Hurry up, will you?"

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying." Lina assured them.

"Pokota, don't push her." Gourry scolded. "Lina, are you positive that you're okay? We could always stay here for a little while longer and let you rest if you think you need it."

"I don't need it." Lina defended. "I've just… got a little headache, is all. It'll go away, I promise."

"Do you think that some breakfast would help?" Gourry inquired.

"Yeah… actually, that sounds great!" Lina murmured, straightening up, as the dull ache in her head seemed to dissipate slightly. She just needed to wake up a little- that was all.

"Of course!" Gourry sighed, smiling in relief. "I know that there's nothing a little food can't fix for my Lina, right?"

"Right!" Lina exclaimed, smiling again. Breakfast never failed to cheer her up.

* * *

The group made their way to Seyruun City- with the transportation arranged by the King, they made excellent time. They were in the city in just under three days.

Along the journey, Gourry became increasingly worried about Lina. She seemed to be a bit out-of-it, and apparently was having trouble sleeping. When she did wake up, she took some time getting back to her usual self. On top of that, she seemed to be keeping an almost paranoid eye on Zara- was she afraid that something was going to happen to him?

Lina hadn't heard from Vireas again, but every waking moment she was afraid that she would. And the way he'd mentioned Zara… well, she was afraid that he had some sort of fascination with the boy. That, she did not want.

Of course, all the stress seemed to be making her unwell. She noticed that she was feeling a bit under-the-weather as of late. Of course, it couldn't be because she was sick! Of course not! She didn't get sick- she couldn't! She was just… worried… yeah, worried! And with good reason.

Eventually, they did reach Seyruun, however, and went immediately to the royal palace. Pokota was beyond anxious to see Amelia and Zelgadis.

"Do you know where the princess and prince are?" Pokota demanded a castle guard. "We need to see them right away! Are they well?"

"Erm, well, for the most part. I was told that the princess had taken ill a few days ago and has not fully recovered, though-"

"AMELIA! Where is she?" Pokota exclaimed.

"Calm down!" Lina said, trying to subdue the animal atop her head. "We'll find her! You know Amelia! She's strong. She wouldn't let something like this get her down!"

"Quite right." the guard nodded. "The princess is in her room, though I will alert her of your arrival. If you would follow me."

The guard led the anxious group through the palace, until they reached the room that they often visited with Amelia. Told to wait in the room, Lina, Gourry, and Zara made themselves comfortable while Pokota paced nervously. For a few minutes, no one said anything. Zara broke the awkward silence with an "It's kind of quiet…"

"Yeah, we noticed." Lina replied.

The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway caused them to pay more attention. "Miss Lina? Mister Gourry? Zara-chan? Poko-"

Amelia was only halfway into the room when Pokota jumped up and rushed toward her. "AMELIA~!"

"Oh, Pokota~!" Amelia's huge smile showed her evident happiness at seeing the stuffed animal again. She hugged him tightly, spinning him around. "It's so good to see you again~!"

"A-Amelia… you're okay…" Pokota choked, though his relief was evident.

"Of course I'm okay!" Amelia assured him. However, a certain chimera who was entering behind her seemed to disagree.

"Amelia! What do you think you're doing out here? You're supposed to be in bed!" he exclaimed

"Oh, come on, Zelgadis. I'm not seriously not sick- really!" Amelia protested, letting go of Pokota, who perched on top of Zel's head.

"Yeah, you don't look sick." the animal observed.

"I don't feel sick either." Amelia agreed.

"Well, you've been feeling so bad these past few days, I don't want you getting sick again!" Zelgadis defended.

"You know, something about this conversation seems ironically familiar." Lina commented.

"Does it now? I suppose you're right." Zelgadis replied. "Though it has been awhile, hasn't it? A lot has happened."

"You can say that again." Gourry laughed.

"I've been worried about you guys the past couple of months." Pokota said. "I mean, you weren't in Seyruun, you didn't write… when two whole weeks passed with no letters from you- well, then I started to get _really_ worried… and then a month.. and then two… then three…"

"Aww~ I'm so sorry Pokota~!" Amelia exclaimed, pulling him off Zel's head and hugging him tightly again. "Everything happened so fast, we couldn't find time to write! We're such terrible friends, I know! We just-"

"No! I… I heard what happened. Lina and Gourry told me about everything. It's so… so… I can't describe it…" Pokota replied.

"I know. I feel the same way. It's almost as if it hadn't happened… but all the sickness going around Seyruun is…" Zelgadis began, unable to finish his sentence.

"So there's an epidemic here too?" Lina asked.

"Yeah. A bad one. It seems like it's mostly a severe strain of influenza- that's what Amelia came down with a couple of days ago. Thankfully, she's recovered quite well… but…" Zelgadis' voice trailed off.

"But there's still so many people…" Amelia sighed.

"Right. It was hard getting a healer just to look after Amelia- they're all out working with the people who need help the most." Zelgadis agreed.

"I see. Of course." Lina nodded. "That would, after all, make the most sense."

"Yes, it would." Amelia nodded, yawning.

"You tired, Amelia?" Pokota asked, looking concerned.

"I think we all are." Lina said, copying Amelia's yawn.

"I know I am." Gourry agreed.

"It's late, after all. We shouldn't be awake…" Zelgadis commented.

"Then let's get some sleep!" Lina exclaimed. "There'll be time for catching up later!"

"Right." Pokota nodded, glancing at Zelgadis and Amelia. "There will."

* * *

Gourry woke up the next morning feeling rather refreshed. He got out of bed, careful not to wake Lina just yet, and opened the curtains. It was a rainy/icy day, just as it had been in Taforashia. Gourry sighed. The lack of sunlight was not going to wake up Lina this morning, that was for sure.

He stepped back from the curtains a little bit, and spoke to her instead. "Lina? Hey, Lina! G'morning!"

The sorceress didn't respond, and Gourry found that odd. Usually she said something, even if it was a quick "leave me alone" or "five more minutes." Was she just tired, or…?

Moving over to Lina's side of the bed, Gourry examined her for a moment. "Lina~." he murmured, grabbing her shoulder and shaking her gently back and forth. She moved limply until he let go, and then fell on her back with a slight groan.

"Gourry…" she murmured laboriously. The swordsman saw how pale her face was, and was sure that he blanched to a similar colour.

"L-Lina? Hey, Lina! Come on, wake up! Are you okay?" Gourry placed a hand on her shoulder. "Can't you answer me? Lina!"

"Gourry…" Lina groaned again. "I… don't… can't…" She stopped, cringing as though it was too hard for her to even talk. Gourry quickly put a hand on her forehead, but suddenly recoiled at the touch.

"L-Lina! You've got a fever! A bad one!" he choked.

Lina let out a prolonged whimper this time. "No… I… just… I'm not…"

"Don't try to argue with me Lina! This is bad, I can tell! You need help, and fast! Don't worry, I'll be right back!" Gourry exclaimed, rushing out of the room. The hallway was empty, and so he attempted to yell for someone instead, searching frantically for his companions- or anyone for that matter.

"Amelia? Zelgadis? Pokota? We need a healer! Now! Someone? _Anyone_?"

* * *

(A/N: Oh no! Poor Lina~! It's always worse when the people who claim that they can't get sick get sick, because not only are they sick now, but it's also a blow to their pride... *sigh*)


	37. 37: In Sickness and in Health

(Hello! Here is chapter 37, for your enjoyment! I'm actually getting rather upset over the apparent length of this story… *sigh* But I'm almost positive that it won't be over 45 chapters! …almost… Anyway, my rant aside, I don't own the characters or anything, as usual. I'm just borrowing them to play with for a little while. ^_^)

* * *

**37- In Sickness and in Health...**

"Goodness, what a dreary day. Cold and wet, certainly not the weather to be outside in. I should get back 'ome as soon as possible. Perhaps we can 'ave some tea- oh, tea would be lovely- and the boss makes the best tea!"

Jillas moved quickly through the marketplace, finishing up an errand that Filia had asked him to run. He had just turned to head home when a sharp voice behind him caught him off guard.

"You there. Beastman." the cold voice called.

Jillas stiffened at the ominous sound of it. He turned around to see a woman standing just a short distance behind him. She was unearthly beautiful, though there was a quality about her that made him feel as though he were being stared down in the same fashion as a predator looking at its prey. She was dressed with a shawl that covered most of her face, but her gold eyes were eerily visible and were not moving from him. Jillas gulped, wondering what exactly she wanted from him.

"Y-yes, Miss?" he stammered.

"I'm looking for Filia Ul Copt. I was told that, if I found a beastman, then he'd be able to lead me to her. Is that information true?"

"W-well…" Jillas stammered again. "What exactly do ya want with the boss?"

"Take me to her. Now." the woman commanded harshly.

"But I don't even know what ya want with 'er!" Jillas cried.

"Filia… needs to come with me." the woman replied.

"Y-ya mean that ya want to kidnap 'er?"

"She should come with me willingly… though I am authorised to use non-harmful force, if necessary. Onii-sama would have my head if I were to hurt her at all, however." the woman replied.

"S-so it's yer brother who wants 'er?"Jillas gasped. "You're just doing 'is dirty work?"

"Dirty work, nothing! This is an important matter!" she shot back. "And if you won't tell me where Filia is…" she pulled out a dagger and held it threateningly toward Jillas' face. "…he never told me anything about hurting_ you_…"

Jillas gasped. "R-right! Right! I'll 'ave you to the boss quicker than you can blink! Follow me! Right this way!"

His mind raced the whole journey back, however. _Just who is this woman? Who is 'er brother? And what does 'e want with Miss Filia?_

* * *

"I wasn't able to give her a thorough examination, but thankfully I was able to pinpoint some characteristic symptoms." the healer explained.

"Well, what's wrong with her?" Gourry exclaimed.

"It's the Durum Sickness. She must have picked it up while in Taforashia."

"Dang it. Should have figured…" Pokota growled through clenched teeth. "But is it the archaic form that doesn't respond to antibiotics? Or is it the more recent strain?"

"Erm… I'm not quite sure… but I gave her some antibiotics, and they seem to be working so far. We'll have to keep an eye on her. But I can say with near certainty that it does not look life-threatening in the least."

Gourry sighed. "Thank goodness."

"I'm surprised, though, that it took this long for the symptoms to develop. Did she complain about being sick while you were still in Taforashia, or while you were travelling?" the healer continued.

"Well, she complained a little bit, but not much, and she blamed that on me anyway." Pokota replied.

The healer sighed. "I'd give her a full examination, but I don't have time. There's not enough healers in Seyruun as it is, and since this isn't a life threatening condition…"

"I understand. There are lots of other people who need your help more than she does. Thanks so much for looking after Lina." Gourry said.

"Of course. Now, if her condition worsens in the least, be sure to say something immediately."

"Right. Thanks again." Gourry nodded. He turned to go back into the room, to see how Lina was doing. "Pokota, you want to go in and check on her with me?" Gourry asked.

"No. I'm going to head back to Amelia and Zel's room to see if she's doing alright now. Zelgadis is with her, since she couldn't get out of bed this morning… apparently _he's _not doing so well either, but at least he has the energy to get up and do things…"

"Okay. To tell the truth, I've honestly felt better myself. I mean, I'm not sick like Lina or anything… but…" Gourry replied, and then abruptly changed the subject. "Can you stop by Zara's room on the way there, just to make sure he's still asleep? I mean, he should be, but since he's half monster, I didn't know whether or not the sleeping spell would have worn off early, or…"

"I'll check in on him." Pokota nodded.

"Thanks." Gourry replied gratefully. He pushed the door open gently, so as to not wake Lina up if she was asleep. Though it wasn't needed, since she was awake.

"Lina?" Gourry asked.

"Hey~." she replied weakly. "Is that healer lady gone? Gosh, she was annoying…"

"Yes. I think she went to check on Amelia and Zelgadis." Gourry nodded.

"Huh? Amelia and Zel are sick too?"

"Yeah. Apparently Amelia had such a bad headache that she couldn't even get out of bed this morning. On top of that, she's running a fever again. Zelgadis is feeling a little bit better, though. But… They're not the only ones…" Gourry paused, knowing Lina wouldn't want to hear the next part.

"She isn't?" Lina questioned.

Gourry took a deep breath. "Zara has the flu as well."

"No~!" Lina moaned. She sat up slightly, as if she was trying to get out of bed, but didn't have the energy. "Where is he? I need to…" Lina fell back onto the bed, looking too exhausted to even finish her sentence.

"You need to rest. That's what Zara is doing. And Pokota doesn't think it's a good idea for you guys to be too close to each other."

"You mean that little fuzzball doesn't think I should go to see _my son_ who is_ ill_?"Lina was livid at the suggestion.

"Since you have different diseases, you could give them to each other, and then you'd be doubly- or maybe even triply- sick. You don't want that, do you?" Gourry defended.

"No…" Lina sighed, falling back against the bed dramatically. "Ow…" she moaned. "Shouldn't have done that…"

Gourry laughed slightly at this, and Lina grabbed a pillow and hit him with it.

"Hey! You're not starting that again, are you?" Gourry laughed a bit more.

"I wish I could. I would, if I had the energy for it." Lina sighed.

"The energy for what? A pillow fight, or…"

"Yes, a pillow fight. Get your mind out of the gutter, idiot." Lina snapped.

"Okay, okay. Sorry." Gourry replied. "It's good to know that you're at least feeling well enough to yell at me. Has your fever gone down any?" He leaned down toward her face, so that his forehead was touching hers.

"Gourry, you're really invading my personal space here." Lina said, pushing him away.

"I'm married to you- you have no personal space as far as I'm concerned." Gourry said with a smile.

"_What _did I say about the gutter?" Lina growled.

"That was in no way suggestive!" Gourry defended.

"It was if you take it the wrong way!" Lina replied.

"Maybe- but that just proves that _you're _the one with the dirty mind!" Gourry said.

"Oh you!" Lina growled, hitting him with the pillow again- but at least she was smiling this time.

* * *

"Erm, if you'll just wait right out 'ere, miss, I'll go get the boss and we'll be out in a minute!" Jillas said, leaving the woman in the front of the shop. He walked slowly down the hallway until he was sure he was out of her sight. Then, he began running quickly, bursting through the door and turning to lock it shut.

"Jillas! My goodness, what's the rush?" Filia asked, looking up from her book. "And why'd you lock the door? Is everything alright?"

"N-no ma'am! Everything's _not_ alright! I was out at the market and 'ad finished running that errand like you'd asked me to… and then this suspicious lady came up behind me and said that she needed ya to come with 'er! She 'ad a knife and shoved it at my throat, so ya see, I 'ad no choice but to bring 'er 'ere! Oh boss, what're we going to do?"

"Calm down, Jillas!" Filia exclaimed, trying not to get worked up herself. "What did this woman look like? Did she say why she needed me?"

"Well, she was really beautiful, but 'ad this odd eeriness about 'er… I can't describe it…" Jillas stammered. "And… she said that she wanted you on account of 'er brother… she said that 'er brother would get quite mad at 'er if she were to 'urt you…"

"Ah, Elmyria…" Filia murmured to herself. "Of course…" She started for the door, unlocking it.

"Boss? Where are ya going? You're not going out there, are you?" Jillas gasped.

"Of course I am!" Filia replied, rushing out into the main area of the shop where Elmyria was waiting for her.

"Filia! There you are!" the monster gasped.

"Oh! Elmyria!" Filia exclaimed, hugging her tightly. Elmyria looked slightly shocked, and a tad bit disgusted at the sudden display of affection.

"B-boss, you know this woman?" Jillas gasped. A bit of a pointless question, seeing that Filia was actually hugging the strange person.

"Of course she knows me. Why else would I have been sent to find her?" Elmyria asked, sounding indignant. She pushed Filia away slightly. "Is she always this… affectionate…?"

"Much of the time, yes." Jillas nodded.

Elmyria rolled her eyes. "I haven't the slightest idea what Onii-sama sees in her…"

"What?" Filia thankfully hadn't caught Elmyria's last statement. However, Jillas had.

"Sees in 'er? What do ya mean?"

"They're lovers… apparently…" Elmyria groaned.

"L-lovers?" Jillas gasped, looking shocked. "B-boss, you never told me that you-"

"Oh! Well… er…" Filia blushed. "S-sorry Jillas, it's kind of recent… it never came up…"

"Recent? 'ow recent?"

"Er… when I was out finding Val's egg… that was…" Filia murmured.

"Oh! Ya never told me what 'appened! So you met a man and fell in love with 'im?" Jillas asked.

"No… it's not like that… erm… um… well… it's _complicated_…" Elmyria grabbed Filia's shoulder to quiet her.

"Onii-sama doesn't have the time for you to be working out the logistics of your strange relationship. Right now he needs your assistance. It's important." Elmyria said.

R-really? What's going on?" Filia gasped.

"You have noticed the illnesses going around?" Elmyria asked.

"Well, yes… I did hear about them… but I didn't think that they would be linked to Vireas…" Filia replied.

"Of course they would be linked to Vireas!" Elmyria snapped. "He is the controller of diseases and all…"

"So why does Xellos need me?" Filia asked.

"He needs all the help he can get, Filia!" Elmyria sighed, sounding exasperated. "You're involved in this whether you like it or not, and you can't just sit at home and pretend like nothing is happening, because it is! Vireas is still out there and getting more and more powerful as we speak! We need you, Filia!"

"I… see…" Filia breathed. "I guess that I… just… wanted everything to go back to normal…"

"I'm sorry, but it's not that easy." Elmyria said with a slight look of sympathy. "No matter how much we wish things could go back to the way they were, we have no choice but to look toward the future- or else we won't know where we're going."

Filia was able to give a small smile. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Where is Xellos now?"

"On his way to Seyruun." Elmyria replied. "Lina Inverse and her companions are already there."

"Seyruun, huh? That's rather far away…"

"I can get you there quickly. Don't worry about that." The monster assured her.

"Okay… well, I really need to get some things together… I didn't plan to be travelling again so soon… let's see, how many changes of clothes would I need? Do you think I should just pack an overnight bag, or do you think a suitcase would be a better idea? Should I bring extra shoes, or do you think that wouldn't be a problem?" Filia continued on and on…

"Whoa there, Filia! Don't go all OCD on me!" Elmyria exclaimed. "It'll be okay!"

"Sorry… I just… oh, what am I going to do about Val? I can't leave him here, but-"

"I can keep an eye on him." Elmyria replied.

"Oh, would you? I wanted to ask you, but I didn't want to impose, and I didn't know if Xellos had some other assignment for you-"

"Filia, it's okay. Calm down, get your things, and be out here again in fifteen minutes. Alright?"

"R-right! Right!" Filia sighed, running off again. Elmyria watched her go, while Jillas stood, looking around with a completely baffled expression.

"Miss Filia? Xellos? Elmyria? Vireas? I 'aven't the slightest idea what's going on anymore!"

"Don't worry." Elmyria assured him. "Neither do we."

* * *

"I. Hate. Being. Sick." Lina growled to herself. "I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!"

Exhausted from her outburst, which no one was around to hear, she fell exhaustedly back onto the pillows of the bed. "I'm so tired… and it's almost time that I would normally go to bed anyway… I probably should go ahead and go to sleep."

Deciding that it was a good idea to get as much rest as possible, she made herself comfortable and began to fall asleep. She was nearly asleep, until she heard a voice that made her jump to high alert again.

"_Hey there, Ginger. Feeling under the weather today?"_

"Y-YOU!" Lina snapped, confident that no one but Vireas would hear her. "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME? THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"_That's certainly no way to greet a friend, sweetheart! A simple 'hi, how's it going?' would be appreciated_." Vireas replied.

Lina clenched her teeth. "Hi, how's it going?" she growled angrily.

"_Pretty good. Very good, actually. And you_?"

"YOU SHOULD KNOW DARN WELL HOW IT'S GOING FOR ME! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DID THIS, YOU JERK!"

"_Did what?"_ Vireas asked innocently.

"Made me sick!" Lina spat.

"_Lovesick_?"

"SICK, SICK! Remember? The Durum Plague? From Taforashia? This is all your fault!"

"_My fault? Ugh, Ginger! How rude of you to suggest something like that! It's not directly my fault that you got infected. I just give the orders to my subordinates en masse. I can't control what every single one of them is doing at every particular moment! There's trillions of them- do you know how taxing that would be on my mind?_"

"You ought to try it. Maybe it would be good for you." Lina snapped.

"_Oh, come now. You don't really mean that, Ginger~!" _Vireas said sweetly._ "You love me- you know you do~!"_

"Yeah. As much as I love being sick." Lina replied curtly.

"_Ouch, that's cold. I'm hurt, sweetheart, I really am_." Vireas said.

"Good. You should be."

"_Awwww, Ginger~"_

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Lina snapped.

"…Lina…? Is everything alright…? Can I come in…?"

The sorceress suddenly snapped to attention. "Uh, er, yeah! Sure! Come in, Pokota!"

The small animal opened the door slowly, looking in trepidation at his friend. "Feeling any better?"

"Er, not really…" Lina replied.

"Oh, that's too bad." Pokota sighed.

"_What? I thought that I would have made you feel much better, Ginger!" _Vireas protested.

"Not in the least!" Lina snapped.

"Not what?" Pokota asked.

"Oh! Uh, er… well… y-you're not bothering me in the least! I thought you asked if you were bothering me, and so I said you weren't…"

"I never asked that." Pokota replied, giving Lina an odd stare. "Are you hearing things?"

_Way more than I want to… _Lina thought to herself. "Uh, no! Of course not! I'm not hearing things!"

"I'd hope not." Pokota replied.

"_Hey, you're hearing me, aren't you?" _Vireas pestered.

"Shut up." Lina growled.

"What'd I say?" Pokota asked, surprised. "All I said was that I hope you weren't hearing things! That's not an insult!"

"Er… well… that is… sorry… I… think I misheard you, was all." Lina defended.

"Maybe we should check your hearing, then." Pokota replied, looking sceptically at her.

"I don't need my hearing checked!" Lina snapped. "And anyway, what do you want?"

"Gourry and I were coming to check on you, just to make sure you're doing better. He's on his way." Pokota said.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm fine- really! Perfectly fine!" Lina responded.

"_Of course you are! All because I'm here with you, right Ginger?"_

"Shut up!" Lina growled again.

"I didn't say anything! What's the matter with you?" Pokota snarled.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Lina shot back. She suddenly stopped, realising she shouldn't have said that. But what else could she say?

"Then who were you talking to?" the stuffed animal demanded.

"N-no one in particular…" Lina bluffed.

"_You're a really bad liar, Ginger~!"_ Vireas teased.

"I am not! Leave me alone!" Lina exclaimed, beginning to get worked up.

"What are you talking about? I didn't insult you! Lina, are you going insane?" Pokota asked, a slight look of worry on his face.

"I… I… I don't know anymore! Maybe I am! I don't know!" Lina sobbed. She began to cry hysterically.

Pokota gasped, standing and staring awkwardly at his tough friend who seemed to have started crying for absolutely no apparent reason. "L…Lina…" he began.

"_Come on Ginger, don't cry. You've got me here, don't worry_." Vireas said in a soothing voice.

"No! No! Stop! I can't take it! Just leave me _alone_!" Lina continued to sob.

"I… I'm sorry… what did I do…?" Pokota stammered, unsure of how to react.

"You… you didn't… it's just…" Lina couldn't manage to finish a sentence.

"P-Pokota! What's going on? H-how did you make Lina cry?"

Pokota looked up, startled. "It's not like that, Gourry! I have no idea what happened! I didn't do anything!"

"Then what happened?" Gourry asked, rushing to Lina's side as fast as he could.

"P-Pokota… didn't do anything wrong…" Lina choked. "It's my fault…"

"Your fault? Lina, what's wrong?" Gourry sat down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I… uh… well…" Lina was finding that she still had trouble talking.

"_Look, Ginger- why don't you just forget about all this stressful stuff. I'll be back soon, so quit worrying, okay?" _Vireas offered.

"JUST GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU'RE MAKING IT WORSE!" Lina snapped angrily.

"_Alright, alright. I had to go soon anyway. I know you must be upset, so I'll just let you sleep it off, okay? Everything's gonna be fine! I'll talk to you later!" _At the end of the sentence, Vireas' voice dissipated and dropped off so that the "later" was hardly audible. Lina sighed slightly in relief, but gasped when she turned around and saw Gourry's astonished and stricken expression.

"I-I'm so sorry, Lina…" he murmured, pulling his hand away from her warily. "I didn't know… If you wanted me to leave, then you could have just said-"

Lina grabbed his arm as he got up to leave. "NO! Please! Not you! I didn't mean you!" She paused a moment to collect herself before continuing in a small voice. "…please stay…"

"Uh… okay… which is it? Make a decision- should I stay here or not?" Gourry asked.

"Stay." Lina repeated.

Gourry sighed in relief. "Of course. That's what I wanted to do anyway. But what's with the outburst?"

"I… well…" Lina stammered. She shot a glance at Pokota, who was still standing and watching in absolute bewilderment. "Don't you… have somewhere to be?"

"No, not particularly. Why? Is somethin-"

"Pokota, could you go check on Zara for us? Thank you." Gourry said, half-shooing the animal out of the room.

"Um, okay. Sure. Fine. Not like I have much of a choice…" Pokota murmured, making his way down the hallway. _What the heck was all that about?_

* * *

"Lina, if Vireas is bothering you, why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"It's not that simple, Gourry. You're the only one I could trust to believe me- everyone else would think I'm just sick and delusional, or having weird dreams, or hearing things. But it's not a hallucination, and it's not a dream, and my hearing is just fine!" Lina sobbed.

"I think they'd believe you if you told them what you told me- about the magical link-thingy. I don't really understand it, but they probably would." Gourry replied thoughtfully.

"The link with the Ragna Blade…? Maybe. I guess it would make it a bit more believable…" Lina responded. "Still… maybe I should wait until tomorrow… I'm too tired now…"

"Well that's understandable." Gourry nodded. "Here, I'll stay with you tonight."

"Wh-what? But Gourry, if you do that, you'll get sick too!" Lina protested.

"No I won't."

"Yes, you will."

"Didn't you say that idiots don't catch colds?"

"This is the Durum Plague, you jellyfish-brain!" Lina snapped.

"Oh, well… idiots don't catch plagues either… right…?" Gourry offered.

"They do. You just made that up." Lina replied.

"So… I take it you _want _to sleep alone tonight?" Gourry asked.

"I… er… no… not particularly…"she admitted.

"Then you won't." Gourry said decisively.

Lina smiled just a little. "You know, you are really, _really_ stupid." She hugged him tightly. "I'm so lucky to have you… but just be careful, okay? Don't be so busy taking care of me that you forget to take care of yourself."

"I won't. I'll be careful, promise." Gourry replied. "Speaking of which… can you spread diseases by kissing, by any chance?"

"Yes, very easily." Lina replied.

"Dang it." Gourry sighed. "Can I kiss you anyway?"

"No."

"What~? Aw, Lina! Come on-" Gourry protested.

"Are you kidding, you idiot? It's bad enough that you're here with me in this room! That'd be like making sure that you caught my disease! I really shouldn't let you stay here… but I'm too selfish…" Lina sighed, hugging him tightly.

"Well, you can be selfish if you want to. I don't mind." Gourry smiled. "And don't worry. I won't get sick. Promise."

"You really promise?" Lina asked.

"Yes. And if I _do_ get sick… well, you're free to get as mad at me as you want. 'Kay?" Gourry replied.

Lina smiled slightly. "Okay. Got it. And if you do get sick, be prepared to face my full wrath."

"Ooh, scary! I'll remember that." Gourry laughed in reply.

"Good! Now, I'm tired…" Lina murmured, already falling asleep. Gourry quickly followed.

* * *

(A/N: Filia and Xellos have been absent for a few chapters, so here they are again! XD Oh, and poor Lina! Vireas' "psychological warfare" is definitely becoming more stressful… *sigh*)


	38. 38: Divide and Conquer

Chapter 38! …I'm too tired to write a creative note… Anyway, the characters aren't mine, I'm just having some fun with them! Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**38- Divide and Conquer**

Lina began to wake up the next morning, taking a moment to remember what had happened the night before. That would explain why Gourry was sleeping next to her. She could feel a person watching her as well, though she assumed it to be her over-protective companion.

However, it took her a rather short time to realise that it wasn't Gourry.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH~!"

Lina's scream echoed through the hallway. Gourry, who had just been asleep, was awake and alert in an instant, grabbing Lina defensively.

"Lina? What's going on? What's wro- AH~!"

"Tsk, tsk… so much screaming…" Xellos sighed. "Don't you think other people are trying to sleep? Honestly…"

"X-Xellos! Where did you come from?" Lina gasped.

"Uh… the hallway?" Xellos ventured.

"No, I mean seriously! Where'd you come from?"

"…Lord Beastmaster's imagination?" he tried again.

"Xellos! This is no time to be funny!" Lina spat. "What are you doing in our room?"

"Oh, I just came in to say 'good morning." Xellos replied, smiling. He paused for a minute, and then said "Good morning."

"XELLOS!" Lina growled. "I've got enough to deal with right now! I can't spend all my time having to mess with you! FIREBALL!"

She, Gourry, and Xellos paused, all waiting for the ensuing explosion. However, when that explosion didn't happen, they all seemed to look around in confusion.

"What in the…?" Lina murmured, staring at her hands. "What happened to my magic? I said Fireball, darn it! Come on!"

Xellos watched in curiosity as she produced a few assorted sparks, but nothing big enough to be considered a 'Fireball.'

"Interesting…" he murmured. "So the diseases have an effect on magical powers, it seems…"

"Disease? Because I'm sick? Is that why I can't use my magic?" Lina gasped.

"Well I would assume that's the case, since I haven't the slightest idea why else you wouldn't have your powers. Do you?" Xellos replied.

"No, none." Lina shook her head reluctantly.

"Yeah, me neither." Gourry agreed. "I mean, you've still got at least a week before you should lose your power agai-"

_WHACK!_

"Shut up, Gourry. The fact is that I should have my powers, but don't seem to be able to use them. We don't need your commentary." Lina spat.

"S-sorry…" Gourry replied, rubbing his head. Lina certainly was getting good with pillows.

"Well, reasons notwithstanding, this is a problem…" Xellos continued. "We should probably talk with Zelgadis and Amelia about it…"

"Yeah. I'd better not be the only one whose magic is affected by this!" Lina growled.

* * *

Lina was both relieved and disturbed to find out that she wasn't.

"It does look like my magic is affected somewhat too." Amelia sighed.

"I can't even make a fireball either!" Zara complained weakly.

"And even my powers are suppressed to some extent." Zelgadis agreed.

"You're not really sick, are you?" Pokota asked anxiously, sitting on Zel's head.

"Well, just a little bit- enough that I notice it. I think the fact that I'm part demon is what's keeping me from getting too sick, and losing the majority of my magic, like the others." Zelgadis replied.

"So what is there to be done about it?" Amelia asked.

"Destroy Vireas?" Xellos shrugged.

"And how the heck are we supposed to do that without our magic?" Lina snapped.

"Well, you've still got me, Pokota, who can't get sick since he's a stuffed animal, and Filia. Plus Elmyria and Lorelei could help if I asked them." Xellos replied.

"Lorelei! Where is she?" Zara asked.

"At the moment? Aiding Lord Beastmaster in doing some logical work They're doing their best to find any leads regarding the whereabouts of Vireas

"So you're going to make us sit back and take a sick day while you go out and try to save the world? I don't think so!" Lina exclaimed.

"Well of course not! We need all the help we can get!" Xellos defended. "In fact, I have a few ideas as to where you can go to gather information. The faster we can get our hands on whatever-this-is and destroy it, the faster we can get all these sick people well again!"

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Xellos, why do you care about getting sick people well? I thought you might enjoy it. "

"Um… I'm going to go with 'that's a secret." Xellos answered playfully.

"He's not concerned with the health of the overall population- he just wants to make sure that Vireas doesn't manage to take over the world. Xellos is just using the sick people as a way of encouraging us to help him." Zelgadis stated.

"Zelgadis~!" Xellos whined. "That was a secret!"

"It was kind of obvious." Zelgadis replied.

Xellos sighed. "I suppose it was. I was surprised that Miss Lina didn't catch on at first."

"W-well… that was… I'm sick, okay?" Lina defended. "Don't judge me!"

"That's eleven." Pokota said.

"Oh, you shut up! Quit counting already! Come here, you stupid stuffed animal!" Lina growled, reaching for Pokota. The small animal jumped up from his perch and hovered overhead, so Lina ended up knocking over Zelgadis instead.

"Ow… geez, Lina! Pokota!" Zelgadis sighed, picking himself up. "Would you two quit arguing?"

"If Pokota stops being stupid!" Lina yelled.

"You're the one being stupid! I'm just keeping track of it!" Pokota yelled back.

"Miss Lina, Pokota, please…" Amelia began, trying to calm her companions.

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted. The group, sans Lina and Pokota, who were still arguing and fighting, turned to address the person. The maid continued. "There are guests for the prince and princess… are they well enough to receive them?"

"Guests?" Zelgadis asked. "Yes, we're well enough for them to visit- but what kind of guests are you talking about?"

"Erm, I'm not sure." The maid confessed. "It's a tall, blonde woman and a short, dark-haired woman… and they seem to have some sort of important item, though I'm not sure what it is…"

"Oh! That would be Filia, Elmyria, and Val!" Xellos exclaimed. "Those are my guests."

"Filia's our friend too. She can be our guest." Zelgadis growled, unhappy with the thought of welcoming 'Xellos' guests.'

"Well, of course." Xellos nodded, sarcastically apologetic. "Sorry for being possessive of your friends, Zelgadis."

The chimera shot a glare at the monster, but didn't say anything more. "Just bring them in, please." he told the maid.

"At once, sir!" the maid bowed and left.

* * *

In a matter of minutes, Filia and Elmyria had joined them. "Oh, my goodness!" Filia exclaimed, hearing of the recent events. "Sick and with weakened magic? That's not good!"

"Tell me about it!" Lina groaned. "I mean, I'm feeling way better than I was yesterday, but still…"

"Miss Lina, at what point did your magic begin to phase out?" Xellos asked.

"Uh… I don't know…" Lina admitted. "I really hadn't tried to use it since we left to visit Taforashia… so I have no idea exactly when it faded out…"

"I just discovered that I couldn't use magic this morning." Zara said.

"I know that mine was working just fine up until four days ago when I began getting sick." Amelia added.

"And I've noticed the effects just a little while shorter than Amelia has…" Zelgadis said.

"That probably means that Amelia made you sick." Xellos pointed out.

Amelia gasped. "What? No! Oh, Zelgadis! I'm so sorry~!" she hugged him frantically.

"Amelia, please… it's not your fault…" Zel replied, attempting to comfort the princess. He turned back to the source of the problem. "Xellos, shut up!"

"Oh, well pardon me. I was just being logical." Xellos defended.

"You cruel monster! There was still no need for that!" Filia snapped.

"Amelia, it's really not your fault. I promise…" Zelgadis continued trying to calm her down.

"Anyway, anyway~" Xellos said again, trying to get their attention. "The fact is that we have so much work to do if we are going to find Vireas before he is released. On that note, I have located a temple, just a couple days' journey northwest of here, in Ralteague. They are apparently skilled at locating magical items of great potency. I think it would be a good idea for you- or at least a group of you who are well enough to travel- to go and visit, just to see what you can find."

"And why aren't _you _doing this, Xellos?" Zelgadis asked suspiciously.

"Well, that's because the people at that temple are well-versed in holy magic, and having a monster show up to request help would not exactly be a good idea, now would it?" Xellos pointed out.

"I guess that makes sense…" Zelgadis sighed.

"And in that regard, I happen to have found a group that specialises in black magic, who lives in the far north Kataart Mountains. Since that's much farther away, I figured that those of us who can teleport easily- myself, Filia, and Elmyria- would be best to search there."

"But Xellos, the Kataart Mountains?" Filia protested. "That's demon territory! I-"

"Let me finish, Filia." Xellos continued, quieting her. "Since you are a dragon and would most likely not be welcome by the group of black magic users, I thought it would be a good idea for you to split up and head to Dragon's Peak, to see what, if anything, the dragons there know about this problem."

"But Xellos…" Filia began again. "I… I severed my ties with the dragon race… they may not accept me as a priestess, since I am no longer of the Temple of the Fire Dragon King-"

"But you are one of their own kind, are you not?" Xellos replied. "I see no reason why they would withhold information from you- especially if your intentions are pure. You only wish to make the sick people well and rescue the world from potential danger, don't you?"

"Y-yes…" Filia nodded.

"Good. So, how many of you are going to this temple in Ralteague?" Xellos continued.

"I'm going! I refuse to sit around here like a sick person! I'm doing something about this problem!" Lina exclaimed, jumping up.

Gourry sighed. "I doubt there's anything I can say to convince you otherwise, so I'll just come too."

"Yeah! And I'll help you guys out! Since I can't get sick, that's an advantage." Pokota added, jumping onto Gourry's head.

"Lucky little stuffed toy…" Lina muttered under her breath.

"I'll come as well. Pokota can use magic, but it may not be enough. I'll at least be able to provide a little help in that regard." Zelgadis said.

"And I'll come too!" Amelia said, standing up weakly.

"No." Zelgadis said simply, sitting her down on the bed again.

"Zelgadis, there are people out there who need help! A warrior of Justice cannot sit by and let things happen when people are in need! A true warrior of Justice works against any and every obstacle in order to help society! It is my duty as the Princess of Seyruun, to do everything I can that will make our citizens well again! That is why I must accompany you!"

Zelgadis sighed, defeated. "Alright, alright. You can come with us. But I'm going to keep a close eye on you, okay?"

"Got it! Of course!" Amelia exclaimed.

"And… uh… Zara…" Lina began. "Listen… I think it would be best if you stayed here for a while… just so that you stay safe, and can get better faster. Are you… okay with that?"

The little boy leaned on Lina's arm, with his eyes closed. "I'm sleepy…" he murmured softly.

"Well, I'd take that as a yes." Gourry commented.

"I'd say so." Lina nodded. "I'm just glad that he isn't making a big fuss over us leaving. You know, normally he would."

"I guess the sickness is just affecting him the same way it's affecting everyo-" Gourry sneezed, cutting himself off in the middle of the sentence.

"YOU JELLYFISH! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT GETTING SICK?" Lina yelled, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"Aww, c-c'mon Lina! That wasn't a 'sick sneeze'… it was a… a… 'regular sneeze'… I'm not sick, I promise!" Gourry defended.

"You'd better not be…" Lina murmured.

* * *

As Xellos had told them, the journey did, indeed, take about two days. Their energy seemed to be coming back. This was the case with their magic as well, though Lina's seemed to be returning slower than the others, which irked her greatly. They arrived at the temple a tired bunch, but determined nonetheless.

A young priestess with dark golden hair approached the group as they entered.

"Greetings, travellers." she began. "Welcome. What brings you to this temple? Is it the illnesses that are ravaging the land?"

"Yeah, sort of." Lina replied.

"I see." the priestess sighed sadly. "We've received lots of visitors to this temple asking for help curing their diseases. Unfortunately, our holy magic does not seem to have any effect on the pathogens whatsoever. We can do little to help you, I'm afraid."

"Thanks for the sympathy, but that's not what we're here for." Lina replied.

"Oh?" the young woman asked curiously.

"Yeah!" Pokota exclaimed. "We don't want specific cures for single people, we're trying to fight the root cause of all the epidemics!"

"Root cause?" the priestess gasped. "I had no idea… please, follow me into the library. If there is a root cause of all this disease, I want to know about it!"

Lina and her friends glanced at each other. "Alright…" Zelgadis said. "We'll tell you about it. …and we may want to check out this library…"

* * *

"So, Lidya," Lina began, addressing the young priestess who they had informed of the situation. "basically we came here to see if you had information regarding high-capacity magical items. We need any information we can get, in order to apply logic and figure out where Vireas might be hiding. Do you… have any information that might be able to help us…?"

Lidya nodded. "Just look around you. This is entire library is devoted to the storage of information on just that subject."

Lina gasped, looking around at the vast amount of books surrounding them. "A-all of them?"

"It could take weeks just to look through all of them!" Pokota exclaimed.

"I'm sorry that I'm the only one here to assist you." Lidya apologised. "Everyone else at the temple was a well-versed healer… all except for me… so they all went out to help with the plagues while I stayed here to watch over the temple. I'm not good with medical things, it seems…"

"That's alright. Our main concern is the information." Zelgadis replied. "And it would be ever-so-kind of you if you'd allow us access to this library."

"Well, I'm not totally sure I believe this whole story, but it's better than sitting around and doing nothing to help anyone. If it helps with the situation at hand, I'm definitely willing to let you have access to the library. It's all public information anyway, so there's no problem in it. You may certainly have access to it." Lidya nodded.

"Alright! Thanks! That's awesome!" Lina exclaimed.

"But… we still have to look through all these books…" Amelia murmured.

"So many books… it almost hurts to look at them all… much less read them…" Gourry groaned.

"It's actually not a big deal." Zelgadis said. "I've actually gotten pretty good at searching through books to find the information needed. You just need to know where to look to get the right information."

"Well, there's no doubt that Zel is the undisputed expert at information hunting! With his help, we'll be able to find exactly what we're looking for!" Lina exclaimed.

"Right!" Amelia agreed. "We'll be able to find and destroy Vireas for sure! No doubt about it!"

"And I'll help in any way I can." Lidya offered.

"Alright! Thanks! Now we're making some progress!" Lina exclaimed. "Maybe… things are going to turn out alright after all!"

* * *

"Oh Xellos… I'm just not sure… I haven't had contact with other dragons in so long… what if they won't accept me? What if they think I'm lying? What if they don't even acknowledge the fact that I'm a dragon-"

"What if you just try going there and finding out for yourself?" Xellos interrupted. The group had made their way to the Kataart Mountains, and were going to split up. "Filia, I'm sure you'll be fine! Dragons are supposed to be a peaceful race, right?"

"They were supposed to be… but that's not always the case… remember?" Filia asked, motioning toward the egg she was carrying.

"Well… look- I've been to Dragon's Peak recently… several years back with Lina and her friends… before they met you, of course. The dragons there are just as I remember them. You should be fine." Xellos replied. "Come now, El-chan. We have work to do as well."

"Y-yes sir…" Elmyria nodded.

"Xellos, wait!" Filia exclaimed. "Don't just go running off, you idiot!"

Xellos paused for a moment. "What is it?" he questioned.

Filia ran up and hugged the monster tightly, much to his surprise. "Thank you…" she murmured.

"What? What did I do?" he stammered, slightly flustered. "All you have to do is talk to the dragons. But, you really can't do that while holding on to me… so if you would please let go now…"

"Thanks for all the support, though." Filia continued, not letting go- much to Xellos' irritation. He quickly phased out of her arms and appeared again behind her. Filia nearly fell over as the object of her affection suddenly disappeared. She quickly caught her balance and spun around.

"Have a good time, Filia dear! Write us a postcard if you'd like!" he laughed.

"Xellos you namagomi, that was cruel!" Filia yelled.

Xellos laughed. "And that, Filia dear, is why you love me!" he teased, appearing beside her to kiss her on the cheek, and then disappearing with Elmyria in tow. Filia looked around for them for a minute, but they were gone.

"Dang it! That stupid monster!" Filia growled to herself. "I won't let him get to me… I've got more important things to worry about now…"

Finally, she turned around toward the direction of Dragon's Peak. Finally, after all this time, she was going to see another dragon.

She wondered if she really wanted to.

* * *

(A/N: I feel bad for Filia… her situation is rather difficult… though I also feel bad for Lina and her troubles with her magic! Not good!)


	39. 39: Family Matters

Hello there! Okay, I have a good reason for updating more frequently, but it's complicated, so just bear with me! We'll get to the end of this story yet! I don't own the characters, I'm just having a whole lot of fun messing around with them! Haha~ Oh, and I meant for this chapter to be Filia-centric, but Lina, Gourry, and Vireas stole most of it. Oh well… enjoy…

* * *

**39- Family Matters**

Filia stood on the cliff overlooking the valley. Her heart raced as she observed the dragons flying about in the valley below. There were so many of them… Black Dragons… Golden Dragons- of course no Ancient Dragons… save the egg that she was clutching tightly. She hoped that the dragons wouldn't be able to sense that the egg she carried was not that of a Gold. After all, there were much more important problems to be dealing with right now.

As Filia stood on the edge of the cliff, she saw that a few of the dragons were taking an interest in her. She realised that she was still in her human form. Filia wasn't quite positive how they would react to seeing an unfamiliar Golden Dragon in their territory, so she thought she would stay in her human form to emphasize that she was not a threat. However, it was still obvious that she was a dragon, human form or not. Nervous, she held the egg closer, clutching the blanket that covered it tightly.

After a few minutes, the dragons seemed to have come to some agreement as to how to deal with this strange newcomer who was in their valley. A large Golden Dragon flew toward the cliff where Filia stood. He lighted down on the ground gently and observed Filia for a moment, looking intrigued. "You are… a Golden Dragon… correct?"

Filia nodded slowly. "Y-yes sir…" she murmured.

"Where did you come from? Who are you?" he continued.

"I…" Filia began. "I am Filia Ul Copt, daughter of Bazard Ul Copt, the High Priest of the Temple of the Fire Dragon King. I…" Filia stammered, unable to think of what to say next.

"Bazard Ul Copt…" the older dragon murmured. "He… is my cousin… And you are his daughter? Well then, I welcome you, Filia Ul Copt, daughter of Bazard Ul Copt, to our valley. Let me introduce myself- I am Milgasia, leader of the dragons here in this valley." He quickly assumed a human form and walked to meet his young relative. Holding out his hand to shake, he watched as Filia fumbled awkwardly with the egg she was carrying and eventually managed to hold it in her left hand so that she could shake with her right.

"S-sorry, Mister Milgasia… or would it be Uncle Milgasia? Since you and my father were so closely related…" Filia murmured.

"You may choose either, Miss Filia." Milgasia replied. "I would be honoured to consider any of Bazard's children family."

"Oh… thank you… erm, Uncle Milgasia. I apologise- I have not had experience with formal introductions for a while…" Filia stammered awkwardly.

"Think nothing of it, Filia. I see you are carrying an egg- that is a very important thing. Tell me, how old is it? Do you know how close it is to hatching?"

"Oh… well… it is about six years old at the moment… so not very long, I believe…" Filia ventured.

"I see." Milgasia nodded, smiling at the egg. "If I must say, it has a very odd appearance for a Golden Dragon egg… I'm sorry, I'm getting off-subject! Please, Miss Filia, follow me. You must be tired after your long journey from the Temple. And to come all this way, there must be some important reason. I'll want to know all about it."

"Yes, of course. I'll tell you everything." Filia nodded, with a slight smile. "Th-thank you… Uncle Milgasia… You've made me feel… very welcome."

_Let's just hope it stays that way… _she thought to herself.

* * *

"That Lidya person is really nice." Gourry commented, yawning slightly.

"Yeah, I know. To let us use the library, and then to let us stay in our own room here- these rooms are pretty nice too!" Lina agreed, jumping up and down a few times on the large bed. She finally lay down, sprawling out across it. "This is great…" she murmured.

"I'm impressed too." Gourry agreed. He sat down on the bed and leaned over her.

"Hey Gourry, a little personal space here?" Lina asked jokingly.

"Nah, I don't think so." Gourry laughed, and Lina began to laugh with him. They weren't quite sure exactly what they were laughing at, but it didn't matter to them all that much. After all, they were having fun!

"_Hey, what's so funny? What are you laughing about? I want to laugh too!" _

"Waah!" Lina was so surprised that she sat up abruptly- of course this caused her to hit Gourry in the process.

_THWAK!_

The swordsman moved back a few feet, clutching his head painfully. "Ow, Lina! If you're going to sit up like that you should at least tell me so that I can move first! Ouch…"

"You idiot! It's not my fault! I didn't do that on purpose- I'm in just as much pain as you are!" Lina exclaimed, also nursing a bruise on her forehead.

Lina could hear Vireas' echoing laughter in the background. "_Oh, I see what's so funny! Hahaha~! That's hilarious! Nice going, Ginger, Blondie! You guys are really coordinated! I'm impressed!"_

"Vireas!" Lina gasped.

"Wh-what?" Gourry exclaimed, looking around. "Vireas? Where?"

"Not _here_! Talking to me in my head, moron!" Lina replied. "Vireas, what do you want?"

"_Nothing in particular. Just thought that I'd say hello. You know, just dropping a line to say 'hi' to a friend. There isn't anything wrong with that! Oh, and also, I noticed something that concerns me."_

"And just what exactly concerns you?" Lina asked sceptically.

"_Oh, well… you left the half-monster in Seyruun. Do you think that was the wisest decision? Just wondering." _Vireas questioned.

Lina stiffened. "Wh-what are you talking about? Vireas! What are you planning?"

"_Planning? I'm not planning anything." _Vireas replied, trying to sound innocent. _"I'm merely pointing out that you left the brat all by himself. Tsk, tsk, Ginger, what a horrible mother you're being. I'd think that, under the circumstances, you'd be wanting to get more experience. Or am I wrong?"_

"I have plenty of experience!" Lina spat. "And anyway, it was a good idea to leave him in Seyruun, because he couldn't travel in his condition, and it would be just as dangerous for him here as it would be there!"

Gourry could hear only one side of the argument, but from Lina's last comment, he realised where it was going- and he didn't like the sound of it.

"_Okay, okay! I was just making a suggestion there. Chill out."_

"Don't you dare ask me to chill out! I know you're interested in Zara! What do you want with him?" Lina growled.

"_Interested? In the half-monster brat? Ginger, I think you're mistaken. I never said anything about that." _Vireas replied.

"You did! You made a direct statement to that effect while you were talking to me in Taforashia!" Lina shot back.

"_No I didn't."_

"Yes, you did!"

"_Did not~!"_

"Did too!"

"_I didn't!"_

"You DID!"

Gourry stared, looking a bit concerned. This was sounding more like an argument on an elementary school playground- not an argument between a powerful sorceress and a dangerous Dark Lord.

"_Did not, did not, did not~!"_

"Ah! Vireas!" Lina yelled. "I know you did! You told me to take care of my family, especially Zara, because you were interested in him! That's quoting you exactly!"

"_Ohhh~! That!" _Vireas gasped. "_Okay, I know what you're talking about! Well, I can see how you could easily make that mistake, Ginger, seeing as though it was a very vague statement, but I promise you now that I want nothing to do with that boy. Honestly, I know you're attached to the brat and everything, so I could totally use that to my advantage, but I don't want to. I mean, he's only a kid, and part monster, no less. I don't like to pick on fellow monsters that much, no matter how useful they could be to me. So I'm not interested in him in the slightest. Got it?"_

"Y-you promise…?" Lina stammered.

"_Cross my heart." _Vireas replied.

"You don't have a heart, you fiend!" Lina spat.

"_Aww… then what am I supposed to cross?" _the Dark Lord whimpered. "_Ginger, I don't think I've ever been so insulted in my whole life! …well, actually I _have_, but that's beside the point…"_

"You're positive that you're not interested in Zara?" Lina questioned.

"_Yes! Cross my apparently non-existent heart, Ginger!"_ Vireas replied.

Lina paused for a moment, and sighed. "Alright. Fine. Is that all you came to say, Vireas?"

"_Yeah, kind of._" he replied. "_I thought it'd spark more of a conversation than it did. Oh well…"_

"Then can you please leave?"

"_Alright, alright! I'm leaving! Do take care, alright_?" Vireas exclaimed.

"Alright." Lina murmured.

"_Awesome! Talk to ya later_!" Vireas commented, his voice disappearing by the end of the sentence.

Lina sighed in relief. "Good riddance."

"Is he gone?" Gourry asked.

"Yeah. Though I don't know how long it'll be before he comes back." Lina replied.

"When was the last time he talked to you? When you told me about it?"

"Yes- it was that day when I was sick and I accidentally yelled at you and Pokota, and started crying…" Lina began. "That was…what? Five days ago, right?"

"Right." Gourry nodded. "And before that?"

"It was when we were in Taforashia- four days before that."

"Which was about 5 days after we fought him. Correct?" Gourry asked, counting out the days on his fingers.

"5 or 6 days, yeah." Lina nodded.

"I'm noticing a pattern here. Are you?"

"Other than the fact that you seem to be acting smarter than normal, yes." Lina nodded. "I guess Vireas is still recovering from that fight, to be able to talk to me only every few days. He did mention that it takes energy to contact me telepathically…" She seemed to be contemplating this for a moment. "I guess that's a good thing, since that means he's predictable in a sense… but something makes me think that he'll do something random to surprise us. That scares me."

"Uh, Lina- I only caught your side of that conversation. I could kind of figure out what you were talking about, but I wasn't totally sure. What did Vireas say?" Gourry questioned.

"Oh, uh… he asked me whether I thought it was a good idea to have left Zara in Seyruun."

"And you told him that it was?"

"Well, of course!" Lina defended. "But he had the nerve to tell me that I was being a bad mother, and that, under the circumstances, he thought that I'd want to be getting more experience."

"What circumstances?" Gourry asked.

"I figure he's talking about us trying to save the world from imminent danger while being sick and stressed out, etcetera…" Lina sighed.

"If he wants to take over the world, then why would he want you to get more experience with anything?" Gourry asked. Lina paused for a moment to think it over.

"Well… I don't know… maybe he has plans for me…" Lina theorised.

"Plans for you?" At that statement, Gourry practically grabbed Lina. "What do you mean by 'plans?"

"How the heck should I know? Ask Vireas! He's the one who's so interested in me!" Lina shot back.

"Yeah…" Gourry murmured angrily. "I guess that's why I don't like him that much…"

"You _guess_?" Lina laughed.

"Okay, yes, that is why I don't like him… and the fact that he wants to take over the world. But seriously, he could take over the world without hitting on you so much- didn't you _tell_ him that you're married?"

"Yeah~! That was one of the first things I ever said to him!" Lina defended. "He tried to kiss me and I told him off for it! Remember?"

"I do remember… that jerk…" Gourry replied. "We're going to get rid of him, right?"

Lina paused for a moment. "Yes Gourry, we are going to get rid of him. I promise."

"Good." Gourry nodded. "I guess that makes me feel a bit better… But he'd better not try anything funny- especially with you."

"Boy do I ever agree with you." Lina sighed. "But I have to wonder, though… why did he suddenly contradict himself on what he said about Zara? He tried to deny saying it, and then when I caught his lies, he admitted to it, but tried to change what he meant. I wonder…"

"Just a question- when he said what he was trying to pretend that he didn't say… did he call Zara by name?" Gourry asked curiously.

"He never calls any of us by name! He has these… _nicknames_... that are basically descriptions of his own twisted observations. And based on the nickname, it couldn't have been anyone but Zara."

"Really? What nickname did he use for Zara?" Gourry asked.

"Er… he's used more than one… first he just called him 'the little one,' and just now he said something about 'the half-monster brat…'Zara is_ not_ a brat, though…"

"What he said about 'the little one…' maybe he wasn't talking about Zara." Gourry offered.

"Who would he have been talking about? Zara is the smallest of our group." Lina replied.

"Not true. Pokota is smaller. Maybe he was talking about Pokota." Gourry theorised. "It's worth thinking about."

"But why Pokota? What would Vireas want with him? That doesn't make sense. And besides, Pokota isn't part of our family."

"He said that they were part of our family?" Gourry inquired.

"Yes, he did- or at least that was the implication of the statement. I don't know, maybe he'll try to deny that too." Lina sighed.

"Our family, huh?" Gourry murmured to himself. "I wonder… maybe…"

"Maybe what?" Lina looked up in curiosity.

Gourry seemed to suddenly decide against whatever he was going to say. "Uh, nothing. Never mind."

Lina stared at him for a moment, and then shrugged. "Alright." She yawned, stretching her arms out and rubbing her forehead painfully. "Ow, I have a feeling that's going to be even worse tomorrow…"

"Sorry." Gourry apologized. "I shouldn't have… been in your way like that…"

"You weren't in my way! That was all Vireas' fault! He's the one who owes us an apology, interrupting us like that. But he's not the type to apologise… oh, what am I going to do about him?"

Lina looked as if she might start crying, which made Gourry very concerned. He leaned over her like before- certainly hoping that no one would startle her into jumping up again. "Hey… Lina? Can I ask you a favour?"

Lina gave him a puzzled but eager look. "…what?" she asked.

"Don't laugh."

"At what?" Lina was a bit confused at her companion's sudden request.

"Nothing. Just don't laugh."

Lina couldn't help but chuckle slightly at this. "Wh-what for?"

"H-hey! I said don't laugh! You're laughing!" Gourry accused, beginning to laugh himself.

Lina was beginning to wonder whether or not he was being serious- but couldn't help laughing now that he was laughing too. "Wh-what is this?" she asked between fits of laughter.

"Well, when you tell someone not to do something, then they automatically want to do it! So I figured that, if I told you not to laugh, then you'd laugh! And it worked!" Gourry replied happily.

"You're smarter than you let on!" Lina exclaimed, laughing even harder now.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but it didn't quite work. Both of them were laughing so hard that they almost forgot to breathe. Again, they weren't sure why, but they were having too much fun to care.

"HEY! YOU TWO! Keep it down in there, will you? Some people are trying to sleep!" A voice yelled, banging on the door of the room.

Lina groaned and shifted slightly, though she realised that it would be hard to get up without running into Gourry again.

"LEAVE US ALONE, POKOTA! Gosh, stop being such a spoilsport!" Lina yelled back, without moving.

"Well you two need to quiet down! Not everyone enjoys being kept up at night by people in the next room who are laughing! Seriously, what's so funny? Or do I even want to know?" Pokota called back.

"What are you implying, you perverted little stuffed animal?" Lina called.

"Nothing! Just quiet down, okay!" Pokota finished, storming back to his room. Lina and Gourry heard his door slam shut.

"Hmph. And he tells_ us_ to be quiet…" Lina growled.

"Should we be quiet?" Gourry asked.

"I guess so, just to get Pokota off our backs." Lina sighed. "Or at least… we can make an _attempt_. .." she paused for another moment. "…or maybe not, and say we did."

"Sounds good." Gourry laughed.

* * *

Filia had a hard time making herself comfortable at the table in the large room that Milgasia had led her to. She felt like she was being stared down by the other dragons that were sitting around the table alongside her. She could hear some of their conversations, and dreaded having to tell them what they obviously didn't know.

"Why would the Dragons at that temple send out a female _with an egg_ to make such a long journey? If it was so important, why didn't they send someone else?"

"Perhaps there was an incident that was so terrible, that they needed everyone who was able to fight."

"That may be true…"

After a few moments, Milgasia stood up, and the entire crowd of dragons fell absolutely silent. Filia suddenly felt as though she were seeing a new person- "Uncle Milgasia" had seemed so kind and welcoming to her, especially after the harsh treatment she had feared, but now she was seeing a more domineering side of him. It was obvious that he was a good leader, but a strict one. He opened his mouth to speak, addressing the rest of the dragons.

"Fellow residents of this valley, and servants of the Aqualord, we have received a visit from Filia Ul Copt, daughter of my cousin, the High Priest Bazard Ul Copt of the Temple of the Fire Dragon King. She brings us news of the temple. Filia, if you would, you may convey whatever message you have been compelled to bring us."

Milgasia nodded to Filia, and then sat down. Filia's stomach churned at the thought of addressing all the dragons, but she had to do something. She stood up, amidst the stares, and willed herself to begin talking.

"Dragons of this valley, I have come to you bearing news, but first I must inform you of the state of my temple." she began. "I… er, well… it… no longer exists."

There was an uproar of commotion following this announcement. Milgasia quickly stood up to silence them again.

"Quiet! All of you! Now Filia, what do you mean, 'it no longer exists?' Has the temple been destroyed?"

Filia shook her head slowly. "No… not the temple… it's…" she paused for a moment to build up her courage, and then forged on. "…it's the dragons… they're dead. All of them. All except for myself."

This was followed by a loud uproar from the dragons. They couldn't believe the news that Filia was bringing them- a whole temple of dragons, killed? It couldn't be possible! Could it? Milgasia tried to quiet them, but had a hard time doing it. He banged a fist on the table suddenly.

"QUIET! ALL OF YOU! LET FILIA FINISH SPEAKING!"

The entire room fell deathly silent. Milgasia looked up at Filia. "Please, go on. How in the world could something like this have happened?"

"W-Well… you see… it was about six years ago… at the temple we received word of a Prophecy of Destruction. Our world was in danger of being attacked by a creature called Dark Star- a Dark Lord from the overworld. In order to save their world, a group of gods from the overworld came to our world with the intention of summoning Dark Star to this one. Obviously we had to fight against this, or risk the destruction of the world. All the dragons of our temple lost their lives in that fight, though we were victorious in the end. After this… I… denounced my priestesshood, and vowed never to return to the temple. I have since begun a life among the humans. However, this story is not the news I bring you, merely my assurance to you that I am here on reasons not related to the temple. You understand, correct?"

There was a discontented murmur among the dragons, but Milgasia nodded for Filia to continue, and they all fell silent again.

Filia gulped, and continued with what she had come to say. They were lines she had rehearsed in her head over and over, yet they suddenly seemed so hard to present.

"I… I come to you today to present a problem which you may or may not be aware of. The humans in almost all parts of the known world are suffering from diseases and plagues, the likes of which haven't been seen for thousands of years. The cause of all this suffering, is a Dark Lord who goes by the name of Pathosmaster Vireas."

There was a definite murmur through the dragons as they heard Filia's tale. "That couldn't be, could it?' 'A Dark Lord that no one's ever heard of?' 'No way!"

This time, Filia didn't wait for Milgasia to quiet them down- she took it upon herself to do so.

"It is possible! He does exist! I watched my companions fight him, and aided them when necessary! The human Lina Inverse and her friends were the ones to fight him and finally nearly bring him down."

"Lina Inverse…" Milgasia murmured. "I believe I know her."

"I believe you do. I heard that she visited this valley a few years back, accompanied by her friends and the monster Xellos."

Milgasia stood up. "Xellos? You know Xellos?"

"I… er…" Filia stammered. She couldn't lie to the dragons- but she couldn't tell them the whole truth either! "I… I'm well acquainted with him…" she murmured.

"How dreadful. I'm sorry." Milgasia apologised.

"Don't be." Filia replied. "He… is _tolerable_… on occasion…" She cleared her throat to continue. "Anyhow, when Vireas was sealed away, he was not sealed away for good. He simply left his powers residing in a vessel of some kind… but we don't know where he is. He could return soon- in almost a week's time at the very least. However, if we are to find the object that he resides in before he reappears, then we can destroy it and take care of all these terrible illnesses. So you see… I need your assistance in locating and destroying him. And thus, I humbly request your help in this matter. My companions and I are working in Seyruun, so that is where they will be found. It is rather far from here, but I believe that the dangers we are faced with warrant such a trip. So… please consider this…" Filia bowed her head, and sat down. Milgasia stood up to reply to her.

"Filia, if you would, we would like to discuss the matter amongst ourselves. We will respond to you once we come to a decision."

"Of course." Filia nodded, excusing herself from the room. She left and sat on the steps of the building just outside. As she was leaving, she heard a few shouts from the room.

"This tale seems rather far-fetched, if you ask me!' 'How can we be sure that we can trust her? Didn't she say that she was acquainted with Xellos?"

Filia's stomach churned, and she clutched Val's egg even tighter. "I'm so glad… that they at least couldn't see you well enough to become suspicious…" she murmured."But now… now what are we going to do? What will _they_ do? Oh Xellos, I hope you knew what you were doing when you sent me here…"

* * *

(A/N: See? Most of that was Lina, Gourry, and Vireas... haha...)


	40. 40: A Complex Problem

Hi there! It seems that all the chapters are going to be rather transitional until we reach a climax (final battle, anyone?), so it's harder to find breaks in the (non)action to make chapters. Plus they're harder to name. *sigh* Ah, well… Enjoy the chapter anyway! And I don't own anything, I'm just a fan having a bit of fun with the characters. They're too much fun to play with! (Especially Lina and Pokota!)

* * *

**40- A Complex Problem**

Lina yawned, trying to get herself woken up. She had just joined her friends in the library, but still wasn't totally awake yet.

"G'morning, Miss Lina. How did you sleep?" Amelia asked cheerfully.

"Pretty well, I guess…" Lina murmured. "And you guys?"

"Wonderfully. The beds here are so comfortable." Amelia replied.

"Okay… when I wasn't being kept awake by people in the next room LAUGHING!" Pokota growled.

"_Laughing_?" Zelgadis inquired.

"I don't know WHAT Lina and Gourry found so funny last night, when it was nearly MIDNIGHT, but they obviously did. I mean, I expected _worse_ out of them, but still. It's annoying." Pokota complained.

"Well, I'm SORRY for trying to have a little fun despite how bad the situation is getting! If we're so serious all the time, then things will end up badly!" Lina shot back.

The two of them took to fighting, while the rest of the group decided that it was much safer to go into their own little conversation and ignore the quarrelling sorceress and stuffed animal.

Lina and Pokota wrestled back and forth a little bit, but Lina finally had to sit back, with her hand on her head. "Ow…" she murmured. "I knew this would be even worse today…"

"What?" Pokota asked. Lina showed him the bruise on her forehead, and he gasped. "Yikes! That's pretty bad-looking! Did you bump your head on something?"

"Uh, sort of…" Lina replied.

"How does someone get a bruise like that on their _forehead_?" Pokota questioned.

"Well, you see," Lina explained. "last night, Gourry and I were-"

"Okaynevermind! I _really_ don't want to know!" Pokota exclaimed.

"Wh-what are you talking about? Pokota!" Lina stammered.

"I really don't want to know about that sort of thing, you pervert!" Pokota shot back.

"What the heck? You're the perverted one, thinking that sort of thing! I was going to say that we were TALKING, and I heard a noise that surprised me and made me jump- and Gourry happened to be right there, so I ran into him! THAT'S the story!"

Pokota raised an eyebrow. "Reeeeaaaally? Is that so? What noise scared you, exactly?"

"Uh… er… well…" Lina stammered awkwardly. She figured that maybe she could take advantage of Pokota's distrust. "…would you believe me if I told you it was the voice of a sealed-away Dark Lord with whom I somehow forged a magical link using a powerful spell?" Lina ventured.

"No. It was something stupid, wasn't it?" Pokota replied.

"A-and what if it was?" Lina responded, trying not to sound relieved that Pokota hadn't believed her real story.

"Then that would be… fourteen." Pokota replied.

"YOU LITTLE FUZZBALL! QUIT COUNTING ALREADY!" Lina tackled Pokota to the ground and began fighting with him again, stirring up a cloud of dust.

"Should I… be concerned about those two?" Lidya, murmured softly, pointing to the fight.

"Nope. Not in the slightest." Zelgadis answered.

"Pokota and Miss Lina are always fighting about _something_." Amelia agreed.

"Just give them a little while, and they'll forget about it and find something else to fight about." Gourry nodded.

"I see…" Lidya said incredulously.

* * *

"Miss Filia…"

Filia nearly jumped as Milgasia's voice alerted her. She seemed to have drifted off in her own thoughts, and coming back was quite abrupt.

"Y-yes, Uncle Milgasia?" Her heart pounded.

"We have come to a conclusion- the council that you met with plans to address this problem with you and brainstorm possible solutions. After which, I alone will accompany you back to Seyruun. Is that acceptable?"

Filia could hardly believe it. They believed her! They believed her and wanted to help!

"Y-yes! Yes! Oh, thank you, Uncle Milgasia!" Filia stammered. She resisted the urge to hug her relative, thinking that it might not be proper. She simply let her smile show how grateful she really was.

"Perhaps it would be a good idea to rest now, and then we can meet with everyone later. Is that alright, or do you think that there is not enough time?" Milgasia continued.

"I think… a little rest sounds good…" Filia murmured.

"I…" Milgasia began. "I had no idea of what happened. Our communication with the Temple of the Fire Dragon King has been cut off for so long due to the barrier… I thought that… well, I simply didn't know what had happened. I didn't realise… it must have been such a tragedy for you…"

Filia felt a surge of emotion as she recalled seeing the bodies of her companions- friends, mentors, even some she hardly knew- all spread out on that forbidding ice field after the fight to obtain the final weapon… "I've… managed to get past it… in time…" she choked, holding the egg closer.

"I understand. Might I offer you my sincere condolences?" Milgasia murmured.

"Th-thank you… Uncle Milgasia…" Filia stammered. Everyone had been sorry for her, but no one had really said anything like that to her before. She bowed slightly, showing her thanks, though Val's egg got in the way.

"Here, let me help you with that." Milgasia said, reaching for the egg.

"Oh, no! It's fine, really!" Filia stammered, pulling it closer to her.

"I apologise. I understand that you would be protective of it. Didn't you mention that the egg was six years old? That's the same amount of time as…" Milgasia thought out loud, remembering that Filia had spoken of the tragedy with the dragons as happening six years ago also. "That must have been terribly hard on you, having to raise it after that."

"Oh no, on the contrary, this egg was the thing that kept me motivated to build a better life after what happened. My source of hope that things would become better. I promise, he has not been a burden, but a blessing. And I know that when he hatches, I'll work to raise him to the best of my ability." Filia replied, beginning to smile.

"He?' How do you know that it is a 'he?" Milgasia asked curiously.

"Oh, w-well… I… uh…" Filia stuttered. "I just think so… I mean, I could be wrong, but I… I…"

To Filia's relief, Milgasia chuckled slightly. "I see. Women's intuition, is that right?"

"I suppose you could call it that." Filia replied, sighing in relief.

Milgasia smiled, and gestured toward the egg. "You're so protective, though, keeping it wrapped up like that. It's not as though it is going to come to any harm here. May I see it?"

Filia flushed. "I, er… well, it… I mean to say… I'd really rather… I'm sorry, but…"

"Filia? Is something wrong?" Milgasia questioned.

"Oh, n-no, I just…" Filia sighed, deciding that she really wanted to trust someone- and if she could trust anyone, it would have to be her "Uncle" Milgasia. "Here… just… please, don't hurt him. No matter what happens, you promise that you won't hurt him?"

Milgasia looked incredibly puzzled. "Of course, Filia. I wouldn't let any harm come to him."

"You have to promise." Filia repeated. "And please let me explain."

"Alright, I promise. But explain what?" Milgasia looked more puzzled than ever.

"Here." Filia responded, handing him the egg.

Milgasia took the bundle and unwrapped it gently, having lost all ideas of what to expect. It was obvious, however, that the sight he found was not one he had thought of. He gasped and his face paled. "Th-this is…"

Filia nodded slowly. "Y-yes…" she choked.

"…_an Ancient Dragon egg_…"

* * *

"So… black magicians who happen to have a thing against monsters… whoops." Xellos laughed.

"Whoops' doesn't cover it. Those people were rude, ignorant, and completely useless." Elmyria growled. "I can't believe that you got us into that mess. Didn't you do some research on that group?"

"I did do research!" Xellos defended. "Ah well, who cares? We had fun, didn't we? Just like old times, eh El-chan?" Xellos nudged his friend on her shoulder with a big smile, and Elmyria rolled her eyes in embarrassment.

"You are a disgrace, Xellos. A pure disgrace."

"Aww, El-chan~! You're just upset because one of those meanies called you 'short.' Aren't you~?" Xellos asked, pulling on her cheek. Elmyria reached up with evident restraint, and grabbed Xellos' wrist, pulling it firmly away from her face.

"Tell me, Onii-sama, where do you plan to go next? Back to Seyruun?" she asked seriously.

"No. I'm thinking we should head over to Dragon's Peak. Filia might need some help, and I'd hate to leave her alone."

"I'm sure that you wouldn't want to leave her alone." Elmyria sighed, her voice softening. "So, Dragon's Peak, it is?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Xellos exclaimed. "We might stir up a little bit of trouble, but hey! A little trouble never hurt anyone!"

* * *

Within a little less than a week, Lina and her friends had gone through nearly the entire library, and come to a fairly plausible conclusion.

…at least, they thought so…

"Miss Lina? Miss Lina, wake up! Wake up!"

Lina pulled herself woozily off of the book that she had fallen asleep on. "Ugh… Amelia… and I was having such a good dream too…"

"Miss Lina, you've got to quit falling asleep on the books!" Amelia exclaimed. "What in the world were you dreaming about anyway?"

"I would hope that it would be something relevant to the volcano that we're studying!" Pokota scolded.

"It was…" Lina murmured. "I was dreaming about the volcano… and there was a giant piece of meat magically suspended over top… and the heat from the volcano was slowly cooking it… ah, it smelled so good…"

"Miss Lina, you're drooling all over the books!" Amelia yelled, pulling the book away.

"Agh… sorry…" Lina sighed. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"Well perk up! If we're right about this, then we'll need to figure out what to do!" Pokota continued.

"I am perked up! And besides, I wasn't the only one to space out!" Lina pointed out. She stopped, and her voice became less harsh. "Hey, Zel, you okay? If it's hurting you that badly, you really ought to put the book down." Lina reached out and tried to pull the chimera's had away from the book that he was clutching so tightly.

"It… it's not… I've just got a splitting headache, that's all. It'll pass, don't worry…" he defended, still clutching his head painfully.

"Well, if your head is bothering you so badly, then why didn't you stay in bed?" Lina asked.

Zelgadis shot a glare at Lina as they both heard her stomach give a loud growl. "If your stomach was bothering you enough to skip breakfast this morning, then why didn't you stay in bed?"

Lina glowered at him. "Touché."

"AAAACHOO~"

Lina groaned, getting up from the table. "Gourry, would you please stop sneezing on the books. They're not ours, and quite frankly, it's getting on my nerves,"

"S-sorry, Lina…" Gourry sniffled. "I can't help it. The books are all so dusty."

"I think he's just got a cold." Pokota replied.

"But that's impossible!" Gourry protested. "I-"

"Forget it, Gourry! It's just an old saying! You could get a cold if Vireas wanted you to!" Lina snapped. She recoiled a bit, and sat down again. "Sorry. I don't mean to yell at you so much. I'm just irritated, is all."

"Irritated at what?" Gourry asked.

"I don't know!" Lina spat. "Everything!"

"You're _always_ irritated at everything." Pokota commented.

"Am not!" Lina defended.

"Perhaps it has something to do with skipping breakfast this morning." Amelia commented.

"Maybe you're right… I just need some food, is all…." Lina sighed.

"I take it that you're feeling better now, then?" Pokota asked.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Lina replied. "Anyway, what were we talking about? This volcano, right? Mt. Seylle?"

"Correct." Zelgadis said, looking as though his headache was easing slightly. "A volcano of such nature would, in theory, have a large magical capacity and be able to support even someone as powerful as Vireas."

"So we're coming to the agreement that this is the most logical place for Vireas to hide?" Pokota asked.

"The most logical that we've seen." Zelgadis nodded. "What do you think, Lina?"

"I don't know… I mean, do you remember me saying that a well-aimed Dragon Slave could take out a mountain?" Lina responded.

"A normal mountain, maybe, but this is a volcano. They're fed by magma deep within the Earth. A Dragon Slave would only take out the top portion of the mountain- perhaps even causing greater lava flows as the magma is given a direct opening to the Earth's surface. No, destroying a volcano is no easy task." Zelgadis replied. "It would be difficult for sure, and perhaps that's what Vireas is thinking. He knows that it'd be near impossible for us to take down a volcano- and that's why he's hiding there."

"So a volcano would be a really difficult thing to destroy… in that case, we'll definitely have to figure out a plan. Otherwise…" Lina murmured. She got up, placing a hand on the table for support. "I'm going to see if there are more books on volcanoes around here…"

"I think we've gotten all the books on volcanoes, but you can try." Zelgadis replied.

"If you're looking for books about things like that, you could try in that corner over there." Lidya pointed. "It has books on similar topics- maybe you'll get lucky."

"I hope so." Lina sighed, heading in the direction of the shelves. _We'll need all the luck we can possibly get… _she thought to herself.

Lina moved in and out of shelves, looking for keywords in the book titles. There had to be something around here that had something to do with volcanoes… right?

"Geez, a volcano? That sounds so much like Vireas…." Lina mumbled.

"_A volcano? Seriously? Get real! As if I'd do something so typical as that!"_

Lina jumped. "Vi-" she yelled, though suddenly caught herself and continued in a whisper. "Vireas!"

"_Hey, Ginger. Whatcha whispering for?"_

"Because we're in a library!" Lina whispered harshly.

"_Oh, sorry_." Vireas whispered back.

"You don't have to whisper. I'm the only one who can hear you, moron." Lina replied.

"_Well, I think I'll whisper anyway. It makes the conversation seem more intense. Cool, right?"_

"What do you want anyway?" Lina asked.

"_Noooothing~_" Vireas teased. "_I just heard you guys talking about volcanoes. So you think that's where I'm hiding? As if! Volcanoes are too over-the-top. Super melodramatic, you know? That's for wanna-be's! I'm much better off finding a more… erm… discreet hiding place. Not to mention the fact that it'd be super hot in a volcano. I mean, it wouldn't bother me that much, but it'd be annoying. And honestly, pathogens can't survive at those temperatures. That's why. Volcanoes? Definitely not!"_

"W-wait… so you're saying that you're not hiding in the volcano…?" Lina stammered.

"_Uh, yeah. Are you deaf? I just spent, like, the past 30 seconds telling you why I'm not hiding in a volcano! Ugh, just the thought makes me uncomfortable. Though the destruction that a volcano could cause would certainly be fun…"_

"Dang, so our theory was wrong, huh? Just great…" Lina sighed angrily.

"_I'll give you points for being close."_ Vireas replied. "_Even though you weren't."_

"But what am I going to tell the others?" she snapped.

"_Eh, just tell them what I told you. If you don't want them to know I'm talking to you, you could take credit for the logic. I don't mind."_

"Thanks." Lina murmured.

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did you just thank me? Like, sincerely thank me? There was no sarcasm in your voice at all! Hah! I knew it! I knew I'd break through sometime! Aw, this is great! I knew that deep down you at least respected me enough to be civil! Ginger, you're a sweetheart, and you are very welcome."_

"Don't get the wrong idea. I still despise you." Lina replied coldly.

"_Ah well, progress is progress._" Vireas sighed. "_Well, I'd better be going, so-"_

"Hold on, Vireas! Wait just a second… if that's possible!" Lina stopped him.

"_Oh? Have you changed your mind about despising me?"_ Vireas whispered hopefully.

"No, I just… I'm wondering… when are you planning to make an appearance? Based on what Xellos said…" she paused. "Holy crap, you could come back now if you wanted to!"

"_Maybe. But I don't want to come back just yet."_ Vireas replied. "_Even though I could, I'd like to stay hidden for a while. I really want to see whether you'd be able to figure me out first. You're pretty smart, so I'm going to wait a little while longer. Is that okay? Or do you miss me too much?"_

"Not likely. You can take your time. I was just wondering." Lina sighed.

"_Cool. Well then, see you around! Say hi to Blondie for me, will you?"_

"No guarantees." Lina spat.

"_Alright then! Bye~!"_

Lina waited for a moment for the voice to dissipate and completely vanish. She sighed, both in relief and fear. After all, Vireas could, technically, make an appearance any minute now, and what had seemed like their best bet just a few minutes ago, had now been completely discredited. It was still up in the air as to where he might be hiding, and that was a bad thing. And now… now she had to tell her friends that the volcano wasn't a perfect idea after all…

Lina's stomach growled again. Now she was upset, irritable, and hungry. That was a bad combination.

They needed to go back to Seyruun.

As soon as possible.

* * *

Meanwhile, in all that time, Filia and Milgasia had made it back to Seyruun, after some discussion, of course.

Filia was now sulking- and it was all that stupid Xellos' fault!

She remembered with stark clarity what had happened. Filia had been so afraid that Milgasia would immediately do something terrible to Val. She knew the hatred that most Golden Dragons had shared for the Ancients- but Filia got an incredible surprise. Milgasia wasn't angered by the egg at all- on the contrary, he had been excited to think that perhaps at least one of the Ancient Dragons had survived. He remembered all too clearly the violence of the killing of the Ancient Dragons. As justified as it had seemed at the time, a small group of dragons had been filled with regret at their actions. Milgasia had been one of them- however he was quick to inform Filia that most of the dragons in the valley were not.

"_Filia, you must keep Val's egg hidden. It's an Ancient Dragon egg- if the other Golden Dragons see it, they'll kill it without hesitation and without question." Milgasia said sternly. _

"_I…I understand." Filia nodded. "That's why I was wary to show it to anyone- even to you."_

"_You were correct in your hesitation. I'm sorry that I imposed." Milgasia apologized._

"_Don't apologise. It's alright- in fact you helped confirm the need to keep this a secret." Filia replied, slightly regretting the phrasing. It sounded too much like a particular monster. _

"_Of course." Milgasia nodded._

The group had very quickly met to discuss the possibilities of Vireas' hiding place. The conclusion that the dragons came to startled Filia, though they rationalised it so well. She spoke to Milgasia about it as they prepared to leave for Seyruun.

And that was when the trouble began.

"_Uncle Milgasia…Do you think that what they said was true? That it would make sense for Vireas to be hiding in a living creature?" Filia asked timidly. _

"_I think it's possible, and actually quite probable. After all, he controls pathogens, correct? And pathogens always invade a living host. They never invade an inanimate host, do they?"_

"_Well, they don't… but…" Filia murmured. _

"_But what?" Milgasia questioned. _

"_Well, that's just going against what someone told me about Vireas…" Filia murmured._

"_And who is this person? Are they trustworthy and knowledgeable?" Milgasia asked._

"_Yes. Quite trustworthy. And knowledgeable, at least as far as this matter is concerned." Filia nodded._

"_Who?"_

_Filia stopped short. Milgasia obviously wouldn't consider Xellos trustworthy- though Filia knew for a fact that he wouldn't lie- especially about such serious matters. Not only that, but if she mentioned Xellos, then she'd be giving away the fact that she was fairly close to him. Close enough, at least, to have discussed the matter before having come to her own kind. What would Milgasia think of her then?_

"_Ah, a companion of mine. He is knowledgeable on the subject of monsters." Filia replied. Milgasia seemed to consider this statement for a moment, and nodded. _

"_I see. Well, I must make some preparations, since I will be leaving for a short amount of time. I will meet with you again soon, and we will leave. Is that acceptable?" Milgasia said. _

"_Of course." Filia nodded. "Take all the time you need."_

Filia waited a small amount of time for Milgasia, and finally took it upon herself to seek him out. She was rounding a corner of the building she was in, when she heard Milgasia's voice- and then another voice that made her blood run cold.

"_What do you think you're doing here?" Milgasia demanded. "I've seen enough of you for several lifetimes, Xellos."_

"_Oh come now, don't be so inhospitable. You're being awfully rude, and in the presence of a lady! You do remember Elmyria, don't you?"_

"_Your partner-in-crime? How could I forget? And despite the fact that she can win over humans with her beauty, no monster could ever be considered 'a lady." Milgasia replied._

"_You think? I really only came to talk!" Xellos said, his smirk evident in his speech. "And, of course… to check on my dearest Filia…"_

_Filia gripped the wall for support. _No, Xellos! You can't do this to me! No!

"_Filia? What do you want with her?" Milgasia demanded. "Obviously you have some nefarious purpose to be targeting such a kind, innocent dragoness!"_

"_What? Nefarious purpose? Absurd!" Xellos laughed. "I just wanted to make sure that she's not dead! I wouldn't trust you dragons that well with an outsider, honestly."_

"_What are you suggesting, Xellos? That we'd kill one of our own kind? How terrible!" Milgasia growled. _

"_Well, it didn't seem so terrible when you were doing it to the Ancient Dragons, now did it?" Xellos teased._

_The monster smiled with satisfaction as he saw Milgasia's face pale suddenly. "Don't… don't bring that up." he murmured. "Besides, there is a future for the Ancient Dragons. There is one remaining egg."_

"_I know! That would be Val!" Xellos replied. "Filia's in charge of him! And so I ask again, where is she?"_

"_XELLOS!" _

_Xellos turned around to see a very angry Filia standing behind him. She thought she saw a look of relief pass over his face for a split second, but it was quickly replaced by his tricky smile. "Filiaaaaaa~!" The monster rushed to the dragon's side, pulling her in a giant hug. Any other time, Filia might have been happy with the situation, but right now she was positively mortified._

"_X-Xellos! Get off me! What are you doing? You're not supposed to be here!"_

_Xellos separated himself from her with a disappointed expression. "Aww, but Filia dear, I was just coming to see if you were okay~! I don't know what I'd do if they killed you!"_

_Filia felt almost pleased at the rare show of affection, but she didn't make it obvious. "Xellos, didn't you ever think that you showing up randomly and then coming up and hugging me would make them want to kill me?"_

_Xellos shrugged. "Maybe. But in this case, I'm here to protect you!"_

"_Xellos!" Filia hissed angrily. "U-Uncle Milgasia, this isn't… it's not…"_

_Milgasia shook his head. "No Filia, don't try to explain. I've seen enough."_

_Filia felt a wave of terror rush over her as she heard his words. "B-but…" she stammered._

_Milgasia walked and stood between Filia and Xellos. "Get away from Filia." he commanded to the monster. "I can see that you're pretending as though you have corrupted Filia, but Filia makes it obvious that it's not true, and I'm not buying it. Whatever you're playing, Xellos, stop it now."_

_Xellos took a step back in shock. "E…excuse me…?"_

"_I mean exactly what I said, Xellos." Milgasia said, walking beside Filia and putting his hand on her shoulder. "Filia is family. You leave her alone."_

"_U-Uncle Milgasia…" Filia stammered, her eyes tearing up, not sure of what to say. "Th-thank you… for believing me…"_

"_We won't be tricked by the likes of Xellos." Milgasia nodded. _

"_Filia dear? You're actually encouraging this? Why~?" Xellos whined. _

_Filia walked up to Xellos and stared him directly in the face. "Because, Xellos," she said in a low whisper. "I love you and everything… but right now… I hate your guts." _

_Xellos smirked, and burst out laughing, which caused Filia to scramble backwards a few steps. _

"_Perfect! And that, Filia dear, is exactly how it should be!"_

Needless to say, Filia and Milgasia kept Xellos on a very short leash the whole way back to Seyruun.

* * *

(A/N: Getting in everything that happened with Filia at Dragon's Peak was the hardest part of the chapter... I mean, a whole week had passed for the other group, and it felt too odd jumping back... so I had to go forward and then have flashbacks... oh gosh! So difficult! On a different note, hmm… it seems Xellos really only shows affection when it's inconvenient for Filia. I guess he just likes getting on her nerves! Haha~)


	41. 41: Hope for the Best

Alright! Continuing on with the story! Sorry that the chapter is so long, but like I said, it's transitional and I'm having trouble finding breaks. Vireas will make an appearance and things will pick up soon, but for now, enjoy this chapter! Things are going to take a turn for the worse, it seems… And I don't own the characters, I'm just putting them in difficult situations (difficult, difficult!) for my own personal amusement!

* * *

**41- Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst**

There was a mutual feeling of defeat and panic as Lina and her friends made their way back to Seyruun. After all, they had spent all that time and work, and didn't have much to show for it. Only a few implausible theories- and that wasn't much. On top of that, time was not working well with them, as it was blatantly obvious that Vireas could appear at any moment.

They were less than a day's journey from Seyruun when they stopped at an inn for the night. Everyone needed the rest, and the night seemed much too short. Gourry was awakened the next morning by a loud banging at the door of the room he shared with Lina. Pokota's voice called loudly to them.

"Hey! Come on, wake up! We've got to get breakfast and get moving! Let's go already!"

Gourry sat up with a slight yawn. "Okay, don't worry! We're coming!"

"Thanks! See you downstairs!" Pokota called back.

Gourry turned to Lina. "Right. We'd better get moving, then! As if the two of us would ever be late for breakfast!" He laughed, and then stopped, seeing that Lina didn't seem to share his excitement. "Or… are you going to skip breakfast _again _today…?"

"Don't… even mention food…" Lina groaned unhappily.

Gourry looked very concerned. "Your stomach is bothering you again? Is it worse than yesterday?"

"Worse is an understatement…" Lina sighed. However, she got out of bed and began walking- stumbling slightly. "But I can't be sick. I refuse. I absolutely, positively, refuse…"

"Are you sure you're well enough to be out of bed?" Gourry asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"I'm… fine…" Lina began. "It's just a good thing that I've got an empty stomach… otherwise…" Lina stopped, quickly putting a hand to her mouth and turning back toward the bathroom- proving that her stomach wasn't as empty as she'd thought. Gourry cringed, feeling sorry for Lina, as it seemed that she was even sicker than before. He waited a few minutes until she came back out and lay down on the bed limply.

"Guess I spoke too soon." she murmured sullenly.

"Poor Lina." Gourry said, putting a hand on her head. "Do you feel any better?"

"No." Lina shook her head in response. "Whyyyyyy~?" she groaned. "Why do I have to be sick?"

"I guess that stomach flu you were getting in Ralteague has finally caught up to you, huh?" Gourry asked.

"You guess?" Lina spat. "This is so miserable~! I don't want to be sick! I already said I refuse!"

"I don't think you can refuse." Gourry laughed. "You don't really have a choice in the matter."

"I should! I mean, I'm an amazing, beautiful, sorceress genius! I can do anything I want! I shouldn't have to get sick! Ugh~!"

Gourry laughed at Lina's outburst. He moved his hand to her forehead. "Well, at least you don't have a fever. That's a good thing, right?"

"I suppose so…" Lina sighed.

"Good. Now how about you stay up here and rest during breakfast, since I doubt you want any?" Gourry suggested.

"It doesn't matter whether I want any or not, I won't be able to keep it down." she replied sulkily.

"I guess not. Well, I'll be sure to get you some ice cream when you're feeling better. How does that sound?" Gourry offered, trying to cheer her up.

"It'd better be a _lot_ of ice cream." Lina shot back. "And you can go ahead to breakfast if you want to. I'm staying here and getting some more sleep. I've been so tired lately…"

"Okay, Lina. Feel better, alright?"

"I'll try…" Lina sighed.

* * *

"G'morning, Mister Gourry! Where's Miss Lina?" Amelia asked pleasantly.

"She's skipping breakfast again?" Pokota sighed. "You know this means that she'll be complaining about being hungry well before any of us are ready for lunch."

"I don't think so. She's pretty sick this morning- she couldn't even keep down last night's dinner, much less anything she'd eat right now." Gourry replied.

"Oh goodness!" Amelia exclaimed. "Poor Miss Lina!"

"Yeah, I agree. That's awful! Even _she _doesn't deserve to be sick like that, and that's saying something!" Pokota agreed.

Gourry sat down and joined his friends in eating breakfast- at a relatively calm pace, since there was no one who was going to take it from him.

"You know…" Zelgadis commented after a while. "If Vireas did this intentionally, he did a good job. I mean, think about it- Lina gets the energy required to fuel her magic from the food she eats. If she's not eating, or at least not able to keep food down, then her power would diminish dramatically."

"You're right, Zelgadis." Amelia said. "And her powers are already weakened quite a bit from just being sick. So she'd be at an incredible disadvantage in battle."

"Yeah." Gourry nodded. "Plus… she's probably going to lose her powers altogether for a little while, very soon... Don't tell her I mentioned that, though! She'd get really mad at me!"

"We won't tell." Zelgadis replied. "It's a little personal, but it's a useful thing to know."

"Soon?" Amelia asked. "Like, how soon?"

Gourry shrugged. "I'm not sure, actually."

"Really? I thought you'd know." Zelgadis laughed.

"Well, I thought I did!" Gourry laughed back. "When she first mentioned her stomach bothering her, I thought that was the problem- but it wasn't. So I guess I counted wrong. Numbers give me so much trouble sometimes!"

"Don't worry, Gourry. I have trouble with numbers too, sometimes!" Pokota assured him. Zelgadis began mentioning some number problems that he'd had to solve in the past, and how problematic they had been, and soon the three young men were engrossed in a light-hearted conversation about numbers.

After a few minutes, Amelia interrupted them. "Uh… Mister Gourry…? Did she have a fever?"

Gourry turned to face Amelia. "Huh? Did who… oh! Lina!" he exclaimed, having momentarily forgotten their previous conversation. "No… not yet, at least. Not when I checked before breakfast."

"I see…" Amelia murmured, staring down into her tea with obvious contemplation. "Is she awake? Do you think I could go talk to her and see if she's alright?"

"She'd probably be asleep, but you can go check on her if you want." Gourry replied. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"I… I was just thinking…" Amelia replied, getting up and heading toward the staircase.

"Amelia is pretty good with healing, and likes to play the part of a healer when she can. Hopefully Lina will humour her." Zelgadis explained.

"I hope so." Gourry nodded. "So anyway, more on that thing you were telling us about… the 15-puzzle…?"

* * *

"Miss Lina? Are you awake?" Amelia asked, knocking on the door.

"Come in, Amelia…" a weak voice responded.

The princess opened the door and walked into the room. "H-hi… Miss Lina…" she waved slightly at the sorceress who was lying in bed, not moving. Amelia sat down on the side of the bed, looking at Lina with an almost criticising stare.

"A…Amelia…?" Lina asked. "What are you… did you come here just to stare at me…?"

"No." Amelia replied. "S-sorry, I just wanted to see if you were alright."

"Do I look alright to you?" Lina snapped.

"Not really…" Amelia replied. "Tell me… your stomach has been bothering you for several days, right?"

"Yeah." Lina sighed.

"And you've been tired too, right?"

"Yes."

"And you don't have a fever?"

"I don't know, you tell me!" Lina exclaimed. "What is this, twenty questions?"

"No, I'm just curious." Amelia replied, placing a hand on her friend's forehead. "You don't have a fever right now."

"Good. At least I'm not sick in that regard." Lina sighed.

"Miss Lina, have you had any other aches and pains?" Amelia continued.

Lina shot a glare at Amelia. "As a matter of fact, _Doctor Amelia, _I have. Is there a problem?"

"Where?"

Lina groaned and turned away from her friend, burying herself under the bedcovers. "Ameliaaa~ can't you see that I'm sick? Is there no sympathy for the ill in your relentless questions?"

"Sorry, Miss Lina… I just… okay, I'll let you sleep now. But… do you think you could talk to me some more when we get back to Seyruun? And maybe see a healer?"

"I'll think about it." Lina replied, tunnelling back under the bedcovers, away from Amelia.

"Alright… thank you." Amelia nodded, leaving the room and closing the door.

* * *

"Hello again, everyone! It's so good to be back home!" Amelia greeted everyone at the palace as they returned to Seyruun that evening.

Amelia and Zelgadis were immediately greeted (rather violently) by King Phil, while Lina and Gourry were promptly jumped upon by an equally excited 7-year-old.

"LinaGourryImissedyousomuchdon'teverleaveforsolongagain!"

"Z-Zara! Yikes! Calm down!" Gourry laughed, returning the boy's tight hug. "It's good to see you too!"

"Lina~!" Zara exclaimed, rushing to her side. The sorceress' hug was quieter and more serious, but it was so tight that it nearly knocked the air out of the little boy.

"Lina? Y-you okay?" he choked.

"Not really…" she murmured in response. "…but you are, and that's all that matters."

"Lina?" Zara looked up at her in concern. "Y-you're… you're sure…?"

Gourry quickly walked over and put a hand on Lina's shoulder. "She's just tired. She needs some rest." he explained.

"I'm fine, Gourry. I really am." Lina said, brushing him off. "Zara, we missed you a whole lot too. Nothing strange happened while we were gone, did it?"

"Strange? Nothing strange. I started feeling a little better, and then Lorelei showed up, then Filia and Xellos and this other guy, and they were all talking about something, but I'm not sure what. Is something wrong?"

"Well…" Lina paused a moment. "I'll have to talk to Xellos tomorrow morning. But for now…" she stopped short and nearly fell over.

"L-Lina! You need some rest!" Gourry exclaimed, putting his arm around her.

Zara stood still and watched in dismayed confusion as his parents walked toward their room, Gourry supporting Lina on his shoulder. Lina seemed to turn around several times to see if Zara was following them, but he was too confused to move. "Wh-what happened…?" Zara stammered incredulously. "Th-they were gone for so long, and I wanted to see them again… I thought everything would be okay if they came back… but what's going on…? I'm so confused!"

"Don't worry." Zelgadis said, bending down to Zara's level. "Lina's just feeling bad and we all need some rest. Everything's fine. Okay?"

"You sure…?" Zara asked.

"Yes. Everything's alright." Zelgadis nodded again. "But it's very late. Well past your bedtime, I'd think."

"I'm a monster. I don't have a bedtime. That's what Lorelei says." Zara replied.

Zelgadis looked up and shot a glare at the winged monster, who was standing a short distance away. She waved at him with a smile.

"Well, you'll want to be rested for Lina and Gourry tomorrow, won't you?" Zelgadis countered.

"Yeah… you're right…" Zara sighed. "Good night…"

"Good night, Zara." Zelgadis nodded, taking Amelia's arm and continuing down the hallway. Zara stood and watched them for a moment, and then turned around with a sigh. He was interrupted, though, by his friend.

"Hah! 'Everything's alright!' The idiots! That's what they tell us because they think we're too young to handle the truth! There's a problem here- Xellos, Filia, and El-chan know it! Heck, that what's-his-face Golden Dragon knows it too!"

"Milgasia?" Zara corrected.

"Yeah. Him. Anyway, there's more to this than 'we're just sick and need sleep.' Didn't you hear when those two left? Amelia said that she'd wanted to talk to Lina about something. Sounded important too."

"Wh-what do you think it could be?" Zara asked nervously.

"I have no idea." Lorelei shrugged. "But I know that there's a problem involving Vireas, and we're going to get to the bottom of this. Even if they don't think we're mature enough to handle it, Xellos thinks I am, and I'll be sure to get whatever information is needed. Don't worry. I'll find out what's wrong with Lina. Promise."

Zara tackled his friend in a tight hug. "Lorelei, you're the best friend ever!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Lorelei laughed. However, after sending her half-human friend off to bed, she began to wonder just what the problem was after all.

_I wonder… if the humans came to the same conclusion that Lord Beastmaster and I, and the dragons came to. If Vireas is in a living creature- person, animal, or otherwise- then there could be a serious ethical problem with destroying it- for the humans and dragons, at least. Hmm… _Lorelei stretched out on the windowsill she had positioned herself on, looking out at the constellations of the clear night sky. _But I still wonder… what's the matter with Lina…?_

* * *

The next morning, Gourry found a group of people waiting for him.

"Good morning, Mister Gourry." Amelia said. "Is Miss Lina…?"

"She's still not feeling very good." Gourry replied. "Still in bed.

"I see…" Amelia murmured thoughtfully.

"Well, we need her." Xellos said, standing up. "There are problems to discuss."

"I'm sure she'll be feeling a bit better in a little while. That's usually how it is- she's way more cheerful in the afternoon and evening, it seems." Gourry replied.

"What kind of sickness is it? Is it the same one? The Durum Plague?" Zara asked curiously.

"No, it's some sort of stomach flu." Gourry replied. "She can't eat anything, or when she does, she can't keep it down."

"Yikes~!" Zara exclaimed. "Does she have a fever as well?"

"No, not really. Which I guess is a good thing…" Gourry sighed.

"Hey," Lorelei smirked. "do you think she's-"

"Don't even go there, Lorelei." Gourry cut the monster off before she could finish her sentence.

"Y-you don't know what I was going to say!" Lorelei snapped.

"Based on what has happened in the past, I have a feeling I do. I don't have the authority to discipline you anymore, because it's not my house, but I could see to it that you lose talking privileges one way or another."

Lorelei pouted. "Not fair! I have as much right to theorise as anyone else!"

"But that depends on what you're theorising, now doesn't it?" Xellos interrupted.

"Here." Lorelei said, pulling her mentor over and whispering into his ear. Xellos paused for a moment listening, and then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Oh Lorelei, dear! Now I see why Gourry's upset with you! We'd be in quite a bit of trouble if _that_ were the case, now wouldn't we? Hahaha~!" Xellos chuckled.

"Yeah, I'll say!" Lorelei laughed in response.

"M-Miss Lorelei…?"

The little monster turned around. "Yeah, what is it, Amelia?"

"Erm, what was it that you told Mister Xellos?" Amelia asked curiously.

Lorelei giggled mischievously, and pulled Amelia aside, whispering in her ear. She could see the princess' shocked face and giggled some more.

"Miss… Miss Lorelei… may I speak with you… for a moment…?" Amelia stammered.

The monster gave her a puzzled look. "Uh… sure…"

Zelgadis smirked. "Looks like Lorelei's going to get chewed out now."

"Yeah! She'll probably get a lecture on how making fun of sick people is unjust!" Pokota laughed, having already developed a distaste for the young monster he'd just met. "By the way, Gourry- what was she going to say?"

Gourry shrugged. "Nothing important. Just forget about it."

"HEY! WHAT'S EVERYONE DOING HERE WITHOUT ME?"

Everyone turned around quickly. "Lina!" Gourry gasped. "Are you… feeling better?"

Lina sighed, crossing her arms. "Well, whether I feel better or not isn't the question. I refuse to be sick, and I'll stick to that refusal. Now, I hear there's something that needs to be discussed? I won't be left out!" She marched up to Xellos and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Alright, I want answers. What is going on?"

Xellos struggled a bit against the sorceress' firm grip. "W-well, it's a very long explanation, Miss Lina, and I-"

"Please, allow _me_ to explain. We can't trust someone like Xellos to tell the correct story, now can we?"

Lina suddenly dropped Xellos in shock at the somewhat familiar voice. "M-Milgasia?" she gasped.

The Golden Dragon approached Lina, bowing slightly. "It is an honour to see you once again, Miss Lina Inverse. Or," he paused for a moment, glancing up at Gourry. "would it be 'Gabriev' now?"

Lina shrugged, slightly flustered by Milgasia's formalities. "I go by either."

"Which do you prefer?"

"Uh…" Lina stammered. "…_both_, if it's possible."

Milgasia smiled, reaching out to shake her hand. "I see. Well, thank you, Ms. Lina Inverse Gabriev. I have heard of some of your recent exploits for the sake of the world. I must admit, I am impressed."

Lina flushed slightly, with an awkward smile on her face. She rather liked the way it sounded when others combined Gourry's name with hers, and Milgasia was being so formal and flattering. "Erm, thank you… Milgasia…" she stammered. "But wait! You promised to explain everything! Let's talk this over right now!"

"Yes, I agree. The sooner we're all on the same page, the sooner we can figure out what to do." Filia said.

* * *

"A-a living creature?" Lina gasped in shock. "That… that can't be! Vireas is…" Her voice trailed off as she remembered something he'd said to her about wanting to hide in an environment where pathogens could easily survive. And what better environment than in a living host?

"It's obvious that it's not such a far-fetched idea, since it was thought of by both Beastmaster Zelas, and the dragons at Dragons' Peak." Milgasia replied.

"And it does make sense." Zelgadis nodded. "I guess we never thought about it because Xellos told us otherwise." He shot a glare at the purple-haired monster, whose smile never wavered.

"I never said that he _wasn't _in a living host, I just said that it was highly unlikely!" Xellos defended. "Though now it does seem as though I was wrong in that regard."

"Hah! So Xellos was wrong about something, huh? Never thought I'd see the day!" Lina laughed.

"Hey! You stop insulting Xellos! His opinion was perfectly justified at the time!" Lorelei snapped.

Lina stuck her tongue out at Lorelei, who promptly mirrored the sorceress' immature action. Gourry grabbed hold of Lina's shoulder pulling her away, as Zara did the same with Lorelei.

"ANYWAY," Milgasia began again, grabbing everyone's attention. "The fact that Vireas could have chosen to reside in a living creature creates a moral quandary. We are to assume that the only way to get rid of Vireas is to destroy whatever- or whoever- he has hidden himself in, and in this case it would require killing the person or animal that he has sealed himself in. This is a real problem- at least as far as the humans and dragons are concerned."

"You're right. It would feel unjust to kill someone… even for the sake of the world." Amelia murmured.

"I agree with you there." Pokota nodded. "But how else are we going to get rid of him?"

"No other way." Xellos replied. "So you're going to have to clear your conscience with the realisation that, without this creature's death, the whole world could be jeopardised."

"That is a good rationalisation, Xellos." Lina said. "But there's another problem that comes with this. Before taking any drastic action like that, we'll have to be absolutely, 100% positive that Vireas is hiding within that specific individual. Otherwise…"

"I still don't like the idea of any person having to die!" Amelia exclaimed desperately.

"Ah, there's another point. Vireas knows that. He may act like a fool, but he is not one." Xellos said. "He's going to do his best to find a host that is the best for his interests. Something with a high enough magical capacity to support him, but with enough power to be hard to destroy- _or_ enough potential to pull at the human's heartstrings so that they will find it impossible to kill the person."

"So you think he'll go with someone who is either so powerful that we can't kill them or so weak that we don't want to?" Lina asked. "Great, that narrows it down to… everyone."

"No, no necessarily. We have to think the way Vireas thinks." Xellos replied. "If we can get inside his head, then we can figure out with near certainty who he would pick."

"_Near _certainty. That word is a problem, Xellos. If we can't be absolutely sure, then no decisive action can be taken." Zelgadis said.

"Mister Zelgadis is right!" Filia exclaimed. "We couldn't hurt someone just because we were 'near certain' that they were acting as a host for Vireas! We'd have to be positive!"

"Xellos, I'd like to know what effects Vireas would have on his host." Lina requested.

"I already said, he wouldn't have any physical signs until he decides to resurface-"

"Then I want to know what happens _after _he decides to resurface." Lina said sternly.

"Well…" Xellos began. "He would have total control of whatever body he had been hiding in."

"What would happen to the consciousness of the creature?" Amelia asked.

"It would be completely obliterated." Xellos replied. "A painful death, at least for the spirit. After which, Vireas would have total possession of the body. But undoubtedly, he'd use his powers to restore his previous body. Then he'd have no use for whatever body he'd used before. It's most likely that he'd toss it aside."

"But the spirit would have already been destroyed! So what would happen to the body?" Amelia asked.

"It'd be no more than an empty shell. In other words, with no spirit, the body would quickly die." Xellos replied.

"Oh, that's horrible!" Amelia sighed. "The poor creature!"

Lina looked as though she was deep in thought. "Well then… if we don't want to hurt anyone without a purpose… we could wait until Vireas makes his appearance to finish him off."

"Lina, are you mad? Or maybe your sickness is messing with your head?" Zelgadis exclaimed. "You _want _Vireas to come back?"

"I don't!" Lina shot back. "But the thing is… if we figure out who Vireas is hiding in, but aren't totally sure, then we'll wait until he resurfaces and takes them over. Then we destroy him quickly."

"Hmm, a good plan, Miss Lina, but there is a flaw." Xellos pointed out. "If we wait until Vireas resurfaces, then he'll have all of his powers. That's not a good thing. It wouldn't be easy to destroy him once that happens."

"True… but I don't know any other way to be sure…" Lina sighed. "Oh man… this is so troublesome…"

"Well, in any case, we'll still have to work to figure out where Vireas is hiding. If we don't know where he is, and he resurfaces, then we might not be able to find him in time, and the effects could be… disastrous…" Milgasia said.

"Right." Lina nodded. "I guess… all that's left to do is… more reading…"

"More reading?" Gourry asked. "Reading on what?"

"Hmm… Amelia, are there books on psychology in the Seyruun library?" Lina asked.

"Psychology books? Yes, there is a whole section on that. Do you really think that might be helpful?" Amelia asked.

"Well, what have we got to lose?" Lina shrugged.

"It does seem to be a good idea- at least as far as understanding Vireas' strategy is concerned." Zelgadis nodded.

"I don't know… are you really going to go to the library and find a book titled _The Inner-Workings of the Mind of a Psychologically Disturbed Dark Lord_?" Elmyria asked sceptically.

"No." Lina sighed. "But if there really was a book like that, it'd be a godsend."

"I'll say." Zelgadis agreed.

"Well, you all can get to work on that, and I'll have another chat with Lord Beastmaster." Xellos said.

"Have fun." Lina waved.

"Lina, Gourry, could I help you out this time?" Zara asked.

"Oh Zara! Of course you can help! We'd be disappointed if you didn't!" Lina exclaimed.

"Oh yay! Thank you!" Zara sighed, rushing up to hug both of them. He was certainly glad that they were back- but there was definitely a feeling of seriousness among the whole group.

After all, they had too much to do, and too little time.

* * *

Lina and her friends had spent most of the day in the library, and it was late before Amelia got the chance to approach Lina. She knocked on the bedroom door apprehensively- Amelia wasn't sure whether Lina was there. She knew for a fact that Gourry and Zara were out taking a walk, to enjoy the clear weather. Gourry wasn't familiar with all the constellations, but Zara happened to be rather knowledgeable on them, and nothing really beat the enjoyment of standing under a clear sky and staring in awe at the vast expanse of sky and stars above them.

All that sentimental stuff said, Lina probably wasn't joining them.

"The door's open, jellyfish-brain! You can just come in!" Lina's voice called.

"Uh… Miss Lina…? It's me…" Amelia replied.

The door opened slightly. "Oh. Amelia." Lina said. "What's up?"

"Erm… can I… talk to you?" Amelia asked.

"Sure. Come in. Is there a problem?"

"I'm not sure…" Amelia sighed. She sat down on one side of the bed opposite Lina.

"So, what's the matter?" Lina asked. She leaned toward her friend, lowering her voice slightly. "…is it Zel? Is there a problem between you two?"

"Oh, n-no! Of course not!" Amelia assured her. "It… um… actually… it's about you."

Lina seemed taken aback. "Me? What did I do?"

"Nothing! I'm just… a little worried…"

"Worried about what?" Lina inquired.

"Uh…" Amelia seemed reluctant to continue, which concerned Lina even more.

"Was it something I said that hurt your feelings? If so, I'm really sorry! I didn't mean it, and was probably sick and incompetent when I said it-"

"N-no, no! It's nothing like that!" Amelia continued. "It's just… you've been feeling sick lately, right?"

Lina laughed. "That's an understatement! Have you seen me? Ugh! It's been miserable!"

"R-right…" Amelia nodded. "Well… I've been thinking… about your symptoms… they seem a little… odd…"

Lina gave Amelia a puzzled look. "Odd? You think?"

"Well, that, and I've been paying attention to your magic- or lack of it, so to speak. With the rest of us, it seems as though our ability to use magic has fluctuated with our health, but yours… hasn't. So I started thinking that maybe that indicated an… underlying cause."

"Underlying cause? What do you…" Lina stopped for a moment to think, and gasped. "W-wait, Amelia! Y-you're not suggesting…"

"I really think you ought to see a healer, Miss Lina." Amelia sighed.

"I don't think so! I mean, it's not like I'm dying or anything!" Lina said quickly.

"But… I think it would be a good idea just to get checked out… just to make sure…"

"Amelia, I really don't think that's necessary!"

"But Miss Lina-"

"It's not a problem! I'll eventually feel a bit better!"

"But I think that-"

"Look, Amelia, I'm feeling okay now! I was a little under-the-weather this morning, but it's gotten better- just like most of the other days. So it's nothing to worry about-"

"IT_ IS_ SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT, MISS LINA! If it were a REAL illness, it wouldn't behave like that! That's why I'm asking you to see a healer!"

Lina gasped and stepped back slightly. Amelia blushed and continued. "S-sorry… I'm just concerned, is all."

Lina shook her head incredulously. "So… what you're saying is, I need to see a healer because you think I'm _not _sick? That's the most backward thing I've ever heard!"

"I said you weren't 'sick,' I never said that your health wasn't an issue!" Amelia yelled. "And if that's the case, then it's not just _your _health I'm worried about!"

Lina turned around and stared out the window. "It's… _implausible_… but I guess I'll humour you. How about the day after tomorrow?"

"For what?" Amelia asked.

"To see a healer. Tomorrow won't work because I'm planning to be in the library with Gourry and Zara all day. But will the next day satisfy you?"

"I suppose…" Amelia sighed. After all, it was better than nothing. "Y-yes, Miss Lina. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lina replied. "Uh… good night?"

Amelia realised that she probably wasn't wanted now, and quickly got up to leave. "Good night! Sleep well!"

Lina sighed, watching Amelia go. She fell back onto the bed in dismay. _Amelia can't be right! She can't! I mean, it's not possible, simply because… because… because… _

But as hard as she tried, 'because' never led to any logical reasons. Which only bothered Lina more. She tried to heed Amelia's advice to 'sleep well,' but she simply couldn't. So Lina simply feigned slumber as she heard Gourry return and get in bed beside her, completely buying her façade of sleep. It was so convincing, that when she spoke to him softly, he nearly jumped.

"Gourry…?"

"H-huh? Lina? You're awake?"

"…Gourry, have you ever had someone tell you something you didn't want to hear… and then been scared because you think they might be right?"

Gourry gave her a puzzled look, but seemed to think it over for a minute. "Well… I guess… yeah…"

"What did you do? How did you deal with it?"

"I… I guess it just depends on what the information was. What did someone tell you?"

Lina paused for a long moment. "…it's nothing. Go to sleep."

"Huh? But you said-"

"Go to sleep. Good night, Gourry."

Gourry stared at Lina for a minute and sighed. "Alright. Good night, Lina."

* * *

(A/N: Has anyone ever played with a 15-puzzle? They're hard, but fun! -Kind of like a 1-dimensional Rubik's Cube!- And now Amelia's worried about Lina, and making Lina paranoid as well… uh oh…)


	42. 42: Surfacing Revelations

Hello~! Yes, I'm updating quickly, because I'm going to be away for some time this summer, and I want this story to be finished before then! Anyway, I don't own the Slayers group, I just enjoy making up twisted plotlines and seeing how they deal with them. I'm such an evil author! heheheh…

* * *

**42- Surfacing Revelations**

Lina woke up the next morning, sick. Just like the days before.

_Great... _she thought to herself. _More evidence for Amelia's little theory…_

"Oh, hey! Lina! Good morning! You're up before I am!"Gourry said, yawning and stretching. "Does that mean you're feeling better?"

"G'morning, Gourry. I-" As if in response to his question, she suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach and trying hard not to be sick. Gourry reached out and grabbed her shoulders, not sure how to help her. Eventually, Lina was able to sit up again, and fell back against her pillow with a sigh.

"Right. I guess that answers my question." Gourry sighed.

"I guess so." Lina nodded weakly.

"Gosh, that stomach flu is positively relentless, isn't it?"

Lina paused for a long moment. "Y-yeah… stomach flu…" she murmured. Pulling herself out of bed, she jumped up and began to get ready.

"L-Lina, you know, if you're feeling bad, you can always stay here and rest instead of coming to the library. Maybe you could even see a healer about-"

"We're going to the library!" Lina snapped hastily.

Gourry flinched and nodded. "Y-yes! Right! Of course!" He paused for a long moment and then continued. "Uh… would you mind if I went to go get some breakfast…?"

Lina sighed. "Go get something to eat, Gourry. I don't want anything. I'll just meet you and Zara- how does that sound?"

"R-right! Great! Thanks!" Gourry scrambled out of bed and quickly changed into some clothes, leaving Lina to get ready at her own pace. She washed her face, feeling a tiny bit better, and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

_Geez, what Amelia said last night has me distracted! I've got to focus, or we're all in trouble! _she reprimanded herself. _Now… Vireas is so complicated, I really don't think I want to know what goes on inside his head! But if I don't figure it out… _Lina sighed, feeling rather helpless. _Vireas is so strange, I don't think we'll ever be able to determine his host with absolute certainty… that is, until he shows himself again. And then… will it be too late?_

Lina got dressed and stared wistfully out the window at the rainy weather. At least it was warm enough that the precipitation was no longer frozen. That was a comforting sign that spring might be on its way… but also a reminder that the seasons wouldn't matter if Vireas got what he wanted.

Lina shivered slightly and threw a scarf around her neck, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

* * *

"This is boring! My head hurts! We've done nothing all day! Why are we reading about psychology again? How is this helping us fight a bad guy? Lina, are you okay?"

Spending all day in a library reading books about the workings of the human mind was definitely not an activity intended for small children, even highly intellectual ones, and by early evening Zara was getting a bit stir-crazy.

"Zara, you're making _my _head hurt." Lina groaned. "I've never known a kid who talked so much when he got bored instead of going and doing things. You can run off and play with Lorelei for all I care." Lina sighed.

"Really? Okay~!" Zara said, rushing off.

"Well, I can say for sure that I'm just as bored as poor Zara is. Have we accomplished anything today?" Gourry sighed.

"We… uh… well…" Lina sighed. Truthfully she'd been rather distracted all day. The things they'd been learning about were making her even more suspicious of Vireas… and the things she'd heard from Amelia were making her suspicious about herself.

"…I guess… I've been thinking… if Vireas wants to choose someone that we won't want to kill, he'd probably choose someone we know. Someone… close to us…"

"Close to us?" Gourry gasped. "Like who?"

Lina sighed, shaking her head. "I really wish I knew… but I don't… I guess we've narrowed it down, but… I don't know! I just don't know!"

"Lina… calm down… it's okay." Gourry said. "We'll figure this out. Maybe we just need some rest-"

"Gourry, I may be tired, but that's not going to help our situation! Vireas… he hasn't said a word to me in four days! And… well… I have a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling. I know he's ready to come out any day now… he's just toying with us! We're just his playthings and he wants to see how smart we really are! I don't know what to do about him!"

"Lina, like I said- calm down." Gourry said.

"You're right… I do need to calm down… listen, I think I'm feeling a bit better. I'm going to go see if I can find something to eat."

"Okay." Gourry nodded, watching Lina leave. _Hmm… Lina's pretty good with figuring things out, but even she seems stumped on this. I have a really bad feeling, but I can't tell her… she'd be too scared. But… I think Vireas… it feels like… something's going to happen! Lina could be in danger! _Gourry stood up quickly and rushed out into the hallway after her.

* * *

Lina always thought that she couldn't think on an empty stomach, but her mind was racing as she made her way down the large corridor to the kitchen.

_Maybe Vireas is hiding in someone close to us… but who? Zara? No, it couldn't be him. Vireas said himself that he wasn't interested in Zara and didn't like going after other monsters. Which also rules out Xellos, Elmyria, and Lorelei. Maybe he'd go after a dragon like Filia. After all, then Xellos, who is probably the biggest threat to Vireas at the moment, would have a terrible time killing him. He couldn't! But… would Vireas choose a girl to hide in? I mean… it's an odd thought, but definitely something that'd go through the mind of that guy… If he did decide to hide in a girl- well, a human girl- there'd be some issues… wouldn't there? No, his powers are separate from the body he's taking over, so the time of the month wouldn't matter anyway. I guess it's plausible, then, that he could choose a girl, though I doubt he'd want to unless it was important to his plan… hmm…_

With those thoughts, Lina's mind couldn't help but wander to what Amelia had told her the previous night. Of course she could try to rationalise the illnesses to just being that- but there was also the problem with her magic, and then _that, _which had sent her to thumbing through the calendar, just to be sure.

_There are also things that Vireas said… what if Amelia's right and Vireas knows it? But he couldn't possibly know something like that! Especially if I didn't know it myself! …Could he? Not unless…_

Lina stopped, clutching the wall beside her with a firm grip. This put one thought in her mind, and the more she tried to logically disprove it, the more it made sense.

_Vireas would want to take over someone that we wouldn't want to destroy… but not only that, he needs high magic capacity as well… a magical capacity that would be enough for him… it would have to practically be able to support someone as strong as the Lord of Nightmares…_

The Lord of Nightmares.

That was it.

And the only person who could possibly wield that kind of power was…

Lina felt dizzy, and she leaned against the wall for support. "No… it can't be… it's…" She stammered to herself incomprehensively. _Dang it! I know where he is! I know for sure! It's got to be! _Panicking, she ran off down the hallway as fast as her legs could carry her. She had to get somewhere where she could be absolutely, positively alone. There was a Dark Lord she had to talk to, and she had to get answers now. She decided on the inner courtyard, since no one would be outside due to the rain, which had now added lightning and thunder to its inconveniences.

Gourry happened to be searching for Lina at the same time, and was surprised to see her running in the opposite direction of the kitchen. She looked rather startled. "L-Lina? Hey! What's going on?"

The sorceress pushed past him, not even stopping to talk. "I'm going for a walk! Don't follow me!" was all the comment she gave as she rushed past.

Gourry stood, staring in incredulity. "Lina? LINA?"

* * *

Lina stopped when she reached the middle of the courtyard, already soaked by the rain. She panted, leaning on a tree for support.

"Vireas!" she yelled breathlessly. "VIREAS! ANSWER ME!"

"_Wow, Ginger. I really think you shouldn't be running so much in your condition. It could be bad for your health, you know?"_

"I knew it!" Lina breathed angrily. "You did answer! My condition, huh? So that means Amelia was right, was she? And you knew all along?"

"_Remember how I told you that all your aches and pains weren't my fault? I mean, I can take a teensy bit of blame for the Durum Plague and everything, but everything else wasn't my doing!"_

"Yeah…" Lina breathed. "…it was mine…"

"_Don't forget about that husband of yours. He helped too."_

"V-Vireas!" Lina gasped, her face flushing despite the cold. "Shut up!"

"_What? You want me to be quiet? But you're the one who started the whole conversation!"_

"I mean… listen! Changing the subject, you messed with our minds! That's not fair!" Lina growled.

"_Messed with your minds? Messed how?"_

"You just stood aside and let us go out of our way in panic, while the whole time you were right under our noses!"

"_So… you've figured me out, have you? Bravo, Ginger! Bravo!"_ Vireas chuckled.

"Vireas…" Lina murmured, her tone softening. "Why? Why me?"

"_Why _not _you? You've said yourself that you're a beautiful, intelligent, sorceress genius, and you have the magical capacity to perform spells that usually only Goldie could control. When I was nearly destroyed and trying to find a host to rest in, I was automatically drawn to the person with the highest magical capacity in the area. I mean, I could have fought against that, but honestly, I like you, Ginger. Sure there were some… _things that happened_…. that I didn't foresee… but honestly, I'm quite pleased with this development. It provides so many… opportunities…"_

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Lina gasped.

"_I remember you ranting about how you wanted me to stay away from that little boy that you adopted? Well, he's really not that interesting to me. He doesn't have your genetics, doesn't share your blood. Not like your own child, right? Just think of all the destruction that a child with your powers could cause! How awesome would that be? Pretty darn awesome, if I do say so myself! And, of course, if the child doesn't take after its father in intelligence, we could teach it to be pretty evil…"_

"I said this with Zara, and I'm going to say it again now! You're not touching ANY of my children! Not now, not ever!" Lina yelled. She stopped, breathing heavily. "Besides… you do realise what will happen if you want to take over my body… right…?"

"_Oh Ginger, you don't think I'd hide in your body without knowing of a way to spare you that awful fate? Honestly, how cruel do you think I am? There is a way around it, you know. A way you don't have to die."_

Lina gasped. She could hardly speak, she was breathing so hard. "A-and… just… what is that…?"

"_Work _with_ me, Ginger. If you allow me to take possession of your body without putting up a fight, then your spirit won't have to be destroyed. I'll have control of it, but you'll be co-pilot, in a sense. Then once I can get my old body back, you get yours back too. And we'll all work together from then on out. Won't that be fun?"_

Lina stood, trembling. Team up with Vireas? She couldn't! But if she didn't… _So this is what Vireas' plan was! To make me a pawn and have to choose between working with him and… No! I can't! Even that fate would be better than working with Vireas! Then… it's up to everyone else to destroy him for good! Would Gourry and the others be willing to do that? They'd have to be! _

"_Ginger? I'm waiting? Is there a problem?"_

"I… I… refuse! No! I won't! I'll never work with you! You can take over my body and do what you want with me, but I refuse!"

Vireas sighed. "_Ginger, you can't be serious! You've got to be the better person in this situation!_"

"What do you mean, 'better person?' Are you saying that I should go against everything I know is right, and fight against all my friends and the people I care about, just to save myself? As if I'd be so selfish!" Lina spat.

"_But Ginger, if you put up a fight, then you'll die! Is that what you want?"_

"I'd rather die fighting than have to become your partner! I've said it before and I'll say it again- I'll never team up with the likes of you!"

Vireas paused for a long moment, and Lina stood, shivering slightly. The cold and the rain were beginning to get to her. A large flash of lightning flared in the sky followed immediately by a clap of thunder.

"…_fine…" _Vireas finally said. "_If you really want it, I can't argue. I really like you, Ginger, but not _that _much. If you're choosing your own death, I can't stop you. I've got things to do you know. I'm a busy Dark Lord. So sorry, but this is the way it has to be. Put up a fight and you'll be obliterated. Happy?"_

"My friends will stop you." she breathed.

"_Fine, then. Let's see if they have a chance. You ready, Ginger? Because this is going to be fun- just a tiny bit less fun without you."_

A searing pain shot through Lina's body and she screamed.

* * *

"And you said that Lina just randomly ran off?" Zelgadis gasped.

"What did she say?" Amelia asked.

"She yelled that she was going for a walk and not to follow her." Gourry replied.

"Then why are we following her?" Pokota asked.

"Because something's wrong!" Gourry panted, leading the small group. "I don't know what, but I think it's something important."

"Oh no! I hope nothing terrible has happened!" Amelia gasped. "Because… because…"

"Because why?" Pokota asked.

"Oh… I'm not sure… I just…" Amelia stammered. "Mister Gourry! Where do you think Miss Lina would have gone?" she quickly changed the subject.

"I don't know! If I knew what was wrong, then maybe-"

The four stopped suddenly as they heard a scream from outside.

"Th-that sounded like…" Zelgadis stammered.

"LINA!" Gourry exclaimed. "But where did it come from?"

"The inner courtyard!" Amelia said, rushing in the direction that the doors would be.

Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, and Pokota rushed out into the courtyard, Amelia having the sense to grab an umbrella on her way out. They ran out into the rainstorm, looking around the landscaped vegetation that was so abundant in the gardens of Seyruun's palace.

"There! Lina!" Gourry yelled. They all saw the small figure of the sorceress, looking rather weak, clutching the tree next to her for support. Her face was angled down so that her hair covered her eyes, and her expression was unreadable, at best.

"L-Lina!" Gourry gasped, rushing to her side. "Are you… are you alright…? Is there a problem? It doesn't have anything to do with Vireas, does it?"

Gourry paused for a second as he watched Lina straighten up slightly. He couldn't see her face, but it seemed like something was definitely wrong. Suddenly, Gourry found himself being grabbed and violently pushed against the tree that Lina had been leaning against just a moment ago. The sorceress answered with a chillingly familiar voice that was obviously too deep for her stature.

"Sorry, Blondie, but I'm afraid it has _everything _to do with me!" Vireas stared down his victim for a second before tossing a very speechless Gourry to the ground. "Buuut~ I know Ginger would have been so upset had she thought I'd harm you, so I'll let this slide for now. Soooo~ what's everyone doing outside? Are we having some sort of party? A picnic, perhaps? Oh! I love picnics!" He directed his attention at the heavily falling rain, and motioned in the direction of a flash of lightning. "Not very good weather for a picnic, though, huh? Ah well, I see you brought an umbrella, Princess!" Vireas clapped his hands. "That's what I call being prepared! So, you guys can be in charge of the food, and I'll handle the drinks! I hope you like pineapple, because I sure do!"

Vireas looked at the stunned group, staring at them for a few seconds in puzzlement. "Oh? What's the matter? Why is everyone staring like I'm some sort of circus act? Hmm…" He walked up and plucked Pokota off Amelia's head. "I don't believe I've met you. You must be the guinea-pig-thing that Phibby-chan was talking about. Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Let's get the boring introductions out of the way- Vireas, Guinea pig. Guinea pig, Vireas." He hugged Pokota close to him, squealing in excitement. "Yay! We're friends now!"

"L-let… go…" Pokota choked.

"Aww, oops! I'm suffocating you with love, aren't I? I'm so sowwy~" Vireas cooed. He pulled on Pokota's cheeks, playing with him for a few moments. "Who's a good little guinea-pig-thing? You are! Yes you are! Ye-"

"LET GO OF HIM!"

Vireas dropped Pokota suddenly, as he found a chimera's hand clutched tightly around his neck. In spite of the situation, he smirked.

"Ooh, Demon-boy has a killer grip, doesn't he? How nice." Vireas laughed.

Gourry rushed to Zelgadis' side. "What did you do with Lina? TELL ME WHAT YOU DID WITH LINA!"

"I will, as soon as your friend here lets go of me." Vireas replied curtly. Zelgadis scowled, but let go anyway. Vireas laughed and jumped back a few steps. "See that wasn't so hard! We can all be kind and civil to one another, just as friends should be! Now, you ought to know the answer to that question- Ginger sure did!"

"S-so… you m-mean… s-she…" Gourry stammered, trembling.

"Oh, I'm just as disappointed as you are, Blondie. I didn't want to get rid of her-I even had a nice little plan for us to work together and be comrades. But she refused, saying that she'd rather go down fighting against me than ever have to work with me. Do you know how much that hurts? Honestly…"

"S-so you… you…" Gourry stammered, unable to say anything more.

"That's right. Me." Vireas nodded. "I am so awesome, you just can't help but say stuff like that. I know. But it'll be even more awesome when I finally reach my final goal! You're not going to attempt to stop me, are you? You wouldn't be willing to hurt your precious _Lina, _would you~?"

"So you _do_ know her name after all." Gourry growled. "But we… we…" his voice trailed off, as he realised that Vireas had a point.

"Pokota," Zelgadis murmured. "Run."

"What?" Pokota responded.

"Run and get Xellos and Filia… and anyone else you can find! We need them now!"

"Right!" Pokota nodded, taking off.

He had to get help. Fast.

* * *

(A/N: Ohnoooo~ Linaaaa~! DX I hate to say it, because it feels kind of wrong, but I love Vireas! Like, a lot! Writing his lines makes me one incredibly happy fanfiction writer! Seriously! But… there's still a lot that's going to happen!)


	43. 43: A Final Decision

Hello there! –insert the usual greeting here- Things heat up in this chapter! I kept reading this over and over, trying to figure out what was wrong with it, but I couldn't. I hope it doesn't disappoint! Please enjoy! And I do not own Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Hence the name, 'fanfiction.' ^_^

* * *

**43- A Final Decision **

"Xellos? Something wrong?" Filia asked. She had been having an evening cup of tea, with Xellos sitting across the table from her, being oddly silent for once. Zara and Lorelei had long since grown bored of Xellos' uncharacteristic silence, so they had now constructed a large pyramid out of the sugar cubes, and Zara was discussing the story behind the ancient Egyptian pharaoh that had been buried within its walls, while Lorelei was busy devising all the horrendous traps placed in the secret passages to scare off tomb raiders.

_I wish I had that kind of imagination…_ Filia sighed, watching the two children. It was at that moment that Xellos had stood up abruptly, banging his hands on the table, which caused the tea to spill slightly. Filia immediately asked him what was wrong.

"Vireas…" Xellos murmured seriously. "I can sense his presence."

"W-wait! You mean _now_?" Filia gasped, standing up as well. "You don't mean that you think he's revealed himself, do you?"

"How else would his powers be released like this?" Xellos asked. "I sensed something like this a few minutes ago, but I wasn't certain. Now I'm sure of it. Vireas has finally been released- and he's somewhere close."

"Somewhere close?" Filia gasped. "Impossible? Who or what would he have taken over?"

"I don't know… but…" Xellos murmured.

They were interrupted suddenly by the door bursting open.

"XELLOS! FILIA! SOMEONE!"

Filia ran up to grab the stuffed animal who seemed to be in a panic. "M-Mister Pokota! What in the world…?"

"It's Vireas…" Pokota panted. "…he…he's…"

"He's been released." Xellos finished.

"You know?" Pokota gasped, still catching his breath.

"I do." Xellos nodded. "But who has he taken over? Have you fought against him?"

"It…" Pokota nodded, catching his breath but reluctant to continue. "It's… Lina…"

The entire group stood aghast. For a moment, no one spoke. Zara was the first to break the silence.

"L-Lina? What do you mean, 'it's Lina?' What has Vireas done to my mom?" the child demanded, knocking over half of his pyramid in the process.

"He's… taken her over… completely…"Pokota stammered.

"B-but Miss Lina? He couldn't have! That would be…" Filia protested.

"…a very good idea, actually." Xellos said. "So obvious that no one even thought of it. Yet it seems like the best hiding place…"

"Lina? The best hiding place?" Lorelei questioned.

"Of course. She has the magical capacity to support his full power, so he wouldn't be limited when he decided to be released, not to mention that we'd never think of her because that would put Vireas right under our noses. The best place to hide is in plain sight, right? And another thing- Lina would have been a massive obstacle to him, so to have her killed and out of the way automatically is a plus." Xellos reasoned.

"W-wait! It can't be! He can't kill Lina! She can't die!" Zara protested desperately.

Xellos bent down to the child's level, and with an amount of compassion in his voice which none of the others thought physically possible, he spoke to the child. "Zara, if Lina has been taken over by Vireas, the likelihood is that her spirit could not survive such a traumatic event. I'm so sorry Zara, but in the situation, we can only assume that Lina is dead."

Filia, Pokota, and Lorelei watched in dismay as Zara choked and the tears that had been threatening began to spill over onto his face. Lorelei rushed forward to hug her friend, but he didn't return the gesture like he normally did.

Filia turned from the sight, thinking she might not be able to bear seeing it any longer without bursting into tears herself. "M-Mister Pokota, we need to get out to the courtyard, now! Please, can you lead us?"

"Follow me!" Pokota demanded.

The group followed his instructions carefully, even Zara who wasn't letting go of Lorelei's hand the whole time.

"Xellos…" Filia whispered as they ran.

"Hmm…?"

"Do you… really believe that? That Miss Lina could really have been killed…?"

Xellos thought for a moment. "Well, I don't think it's very likely that Vireas could have totally killed her, seeing as she has such strong willpower. I highly doubt that he'd be able to conquer her mind that easily. But the tie between her mind and body would have been severed so greatly that, if he were to leave her body, she would still die quickly."

"I see…"

"And besides, I didn't want to get the boy's hopes up. If Vireas is to be destroyed, then the only way…" Xellos' voice trailed off.

"You mean there's no other option?" Filia gasped. "But there has to be! Even if you think it's too complicated or strange for us to try, there must be something-"

"No, Filia. I wish there was. But if there were something like that, I'd be instructing you on it already. The monster race doesn't want to lose Miss Lina and her amazing source of chaos, but unfortunately we have no other option but to destroy her. After all, we don't want Vireas to take over the world. And it's not like letting Vireas live would do her any good- if Vireas has really taken over Lina's body, she is as good as dead already."

"N-no.. it can't be! It just can't be!" Filia sobbed.

"Filia! There will be time for grief later! We have to destroy Vireas now!" Xellos demanded.

"Y-yes! Right! Of course!" Filia nodded, wiping a few tears away from her eyes. "We've got to focus on the fact that we're fighting a powerful Dark Lord right now!"

* * *

"Aww, where's my guinea pig buddy going? I wanted to play with him some more- he's so cute!" Vireas protested.

"Pokota's gone to get backup- to help us beat you!" Zelgadis exclaimed.

"Beat me? Oh, you're not serious, are you?" Vireas laughed. "Like I said before, you wouldn't dare hurt Lina, right?"

"You despicable monster! To think that, just because you're in Miss Lina's body, that we'd treat you the same way we treat her is absurd! You are a villain, and we will fight you as such!" Amelia yelled.

Vireas laughed. "Well, Blondie agrees with me. Don'tcha?" He smirked in Gourry's direction.

"Mister Gourry, you can't be serious! You wouldn't fight Vireas just because he looks like Miss Lina?" Amelia gasped.

"It's not just that…" Gourry murmured. "He doesn't just _look _like Lina, that _is _Lina's body, no matter who has taken it over. And honestly, I know that Lina's still there deep down! I can't… just can't…"

Zelgadis scowled. "Well, I know that I sure can! ASTRAL VINE!" The chimera pulled his sword and a blaze of red light shot up around it. He lunged forward at Vireas, but the Dark Lord dodged all of his attacks.

"Hmm, this body is more manoeuvrable than I'd thought it would be- given the situation, of course. No wonder Ginger is so agile!" Vireas laughed. "This is fun! Now it's my turn- since I'm impersonating a genius sorceress, why not try some of her tricks? FIREBALL!"

Zelgadis jumped out of the way of the attack. The large fireball struck a tree behind them. The rain quickly put out the fire, but despite the deliverance from the consuming flames, the tree still completely withered until it was nothing but a gnarled, blackened shadow of what it had been.

"Wh-what in the world happened!" Zelgadis gasped.

"A Fireball." Vireas replied. "Except… with my own little twist on it. The fire will burn you up, and then the harmful pathogenic toxins take over, making death inescapable."

"Oh man, he took Lina's body and now he's taking her signature attacks as well? Let's hope he doesn't attempt a Dragon Slave…" Zelgadis murmured under his breath.

"Mister Gourry! You've got to do something! You have the replica Sword of Light!" Amelia called.

Gourry glanced at his sword, and then at Vireas- looking so much like Lina, and yet not like her at all.

"Alright… fine…" he murmured, pulling out the sword. "LIGHT COME FORTH!"

"Ooh, big scary sword. Now I'm frightened. _Not!_" Vireas laughed.

"Well, you should be! What you did to Lina is unforgivable!" Gourry yelled, frantically taking after Vireas with his sword.

Vireas jumped back and forth, dodging the sword easily. It seemed as though Gourry almost didn't _want _to hit him- which was very likely. "Hah, I see what you're up to, Blondie! You can't pull anything on me!" Vireas laughed. "You think that you can pretend to go after me, attacking me and everything, to see if I'll give in and let you have Ginger back. Well I can tell you right now that it's not working! I'm not scared by you or your little toy- and even if I was, giving that girl back to you is impossible! So get it through your thick head already that you're not going to win!"

Vireas grabbed Gourry's wrist and tossed him around, grabbing the sword out of his hand in the process. He threw the swordsman to the ground and put a foot on his chest to keep him from moving.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to get all that pretty blonde hair muddy! But it really won't matter once you're dead, now will it? Haha~!" The Dark Lord joked, waving around Gourry's sword frivolously. Finally, he took the weapon and placed it where he could easily sink it into the swordsman's neck. Vireas pulled back his arms, ready to deliver a final blow with everything he had-

-but suddenly it seemed as though his arm got caught.

Gourry had flinched and closed his eyes, seeing no way out, but opened them again when nothing happened. He looked up to see Vireas struggling with his arm. It seemed as though his arm simply refused to move, no matter how much effort he put into it. Suddenly, Gourry's persecutor seemed to change. The foot that was holding him down lifted slightly, and the hilt of the sword was thrown at him, along with a quickly yelled "GOURRY! RUN!"

Gourry did, in fact, heed this warning, and managed to pull himself out of harm's way, the voice echoing through his mind.

That voice…

"LINA!" Gourry gasped. "You… you're still…"

Suddenly, there was a scream- and this time, it wasn't Lina. It was Vireas.

"GINGER! What is your PROBLEM?" Vireas yelled, completely livid. "You're messing everything up! I gave you two choices! You either work WITH me and we do things together, or you sit back and DIE! 'Bother Vireas while he's trying to work,' was NOT on the list!" The Dark Lord let out a very annoyed noise that sounded like a cross between a growl and a scream.

"Is he… throwing a temper-tantrum?" Amelia murmured, shrinking back slightly.

"I couldn't care less what he does." Gourry replied. "But I know it for sure now… Lina's still in there… _Lina's still in there_!"

Gourry ran up to the sorceress and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her small frame back and forth. "Lina! Lina, come on! I know you're in there! Answer me! Lina! Lina! LINA!"

_SLAP!_

Vireas hit Gourry across the face, kicking his leg at the same time. The swordsman was forced to step back, one hand on his stinging face, the other clutching his shin where Vireas had kicked him. He looked up sadly. "L-Lina… Lina, you can fight him! Vireas can't beat you! You're too strong for that! I know you are! Lina, listen to me!"

"Shut up, Blondie! You're getting on my nerves! You should be dead! You AND Ginger!" Vireas exclaimed. "Agh! You're all so freaking annoying! I swear!"

"Vireas! You're so crude!" Amelia criticised. "Why do you always have negative things to say?"

"Well, Princess, I'm usually a nice guy! BUT when things don't go my way, I'm not a very happy Dark Lord, now am I? And when Vireas isn't happy, no one is happy, let me tell you that!" Vireas spat. "Now if you all will kindly back off, there are things that need to be done, and I-"

"I wouldn't be demanding anything of anyone, if I were you, Vireas."

The Dark Lord turned around quickly. "Well, well… if it isn't Xellos! How… nice… to see you again, old chap! Having fun with your little dragoness while the others are all out here fighting! Oh, scandalous!"

Xellos ignored Vireas' taunts, glaring at him. "So, we meet again, Lord Pathosmaster."

"Vireas-" Filia gasped. "Oh no! It _is _true! Oh, Miss Lina, no!"

"Lina! Lina!" Zara yelled frantically, running toward Vireas, blindly throwing his arms around the legs of the sorceress that he'd come to love and trust.

"ZARA-" Gourry gasped, horrified to think of what Vireas might do to the child. After all, he'd heard Lina talking about Vireas' apparent interest in their son. Gourry was just about ready to draw his sword in order to protect his little boy, but to his surprise, the Dark Lord reached down and patted Zara's head comfortingly. Gourry almost thought that it was Lina again, until he heard Vireas speak.

"You poor boy~! You've lost your mommy, haven't you? Oh, I don't blame you for being upset- I really don't! They say all good things must come to an end, though I don't really think that's true. After all, _I've _been around for quite a while, and I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon. Ah, well~! What must be, must be. Right?"

"N-no…" Zara sobbed. "It can't be! Linaaaa~"

"Please, little guy! Don't take it to heart! As the great playwright once wrote- 'tis a fault to heaven, a fault against the dead, a fault to nature, to reason most absurd, whose common theme is the death of fathers'- er, in this case it would be 'mothers,' wouldn't it?"

Lorelei was taken aback by Vireas' attempt to console her best friend. "YOU IDIOT! If you KNEW your plays like you pretend you do, you'd remember that Hamlet COULDN'T accept his uncle's condolences, BECAUSE IT WAS HIS UNCLE WHO KILLED HIS FATHER IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Vireas raised his eyebrows, pushing Zara away from him as he approached Lorelei. "My, my. Do we have a Shakespeare fan in our midst? From just looking at you, I'd have never thought you were an intellectual type. Comparing me to the evil uncle, are you?"

"Well, it's funny that 'Claudius' and 'Vireas' rhyme." Lorelei spat.

"Not really rhyming in the true sense of the word, though they do end the same way." Vireas commented thoughtfully.

"Claudius died by the end of the play." Lorelei said seriously. "Let's_ hope_ Vireas ends the same way."

Vireas stared at Lorelei for a moment. "Oh." he said, half-laughing. "Oh! Trying to be funny, huh? You think that's cute? Hah! Cute! What a laugh!"

Vireas lunged toward Lorelei, throwing attacks back and forth. Zara rushed to Gourry's side, clutching his father tightly. "Gourry, I'm so scared! I want Lina!" he sobbed.

"Lina's still in there somewhere! I know it! She saved me!" Gourry exclaimed. He picked up the boy and rushed over to Xellos. They had time to talk, since Lorelei and her witty banter was sufficiently distracting Vireas for the moment.

"Listen, Xellos! You may not be able to tell, but Lina's still in there! She's still alive!" Gourry exclaimed.

"Are you certain of that?" Xellos asked curiously.

"Very certain! She saved my life! Vireas was going to kill me, but all of a sudden he stopped. Then I heard Lina's voice telling me to run, and she gave me back my sword and let me go. Vireas got really mad at her and yelled at her- so you see, she's still in there! We can't kill her!"

Xellos shook his head and stared at Gourry very seriously. "I'm sorry, but as true as that may be, there is no other option. Even if we were to let her live, Vireas would be able to get his old body back and once he did, Lina would die very quickly. I wish there was some way to save her, but…"

"N-no!" Gourry shook his head. "There's got to be some way! There just _has _to! And I'm going to find it!" He dropped Zara and rushed as fast as he could toward where Vireas and Lorelei were fighting.

"LINA!"

Vireas knocked Lorelei aside and approached Gourry. "Still chasing after that, I see? You might have gotten lucky before, but Ginger's not going to save you this time! Get it?"

"I've not looking for her to save me, I'm looking for her to save _herself_!" Gourry spat. "Lina, listen! I'm not talking to Vireas, I'm talking to you! I know you're in there, and there's got to be some way that you can defeat Vireas! "

Vireas seemed to pause for a minute, standing rigidly in one spot. A voice finally responded, though it didn't belong to the Dark Lord.

"Gourry… I know… I've got… to do something…"

"Lina!" Gourry exclaimed happily. "I knew I could get through to you!"

"B-but…" Lina stammered, obviously struggling to talk. "I… I can't… there's… no time…"

"Lina! I know you can think of something! Whatever it is, we'll back you up!" Gourry exclaimed.

"I…I…" Lina choked.

"_FLARE ARROW~!" _

Gourry jumped out of the way of Vireas' attacks. "It's no use! No matter how long Lina can come back, Vireas always takes over before she can do anything!" He turned around to see the unfortunate plants that were on the receiving end of the Flare Arrows. Once again the rain put out the fire, but the plants were suddenly overrun by what looked like some sort of mold. "What the heck is that?"

"That? Well that, my friend, is a disease-causing fungus! That's right! While to chefs fungus might simply be a delectable delicacy to sauté with rosemary and basil, this here is a highly infectious type of fungus that, once its spores invade your lungs, there is no recovering from! Scared yet?" Vireas laughed.

"Hah! You think you're so great with your moldy old Flare Arrows! We'll defeat you no matter what you throw at us!" Lorelei spat.

"I wouldn't take mold so lightly if I were you. Fungal diseases can kill little birds like you in no time!" Vireas said, tossing another set of Flare Arrows around. "You're all such weaklings! You can't do anything against me! And now I'll show you just how much power I really have!"

The entire group was forced to separate as Vireas began throwing attacks in every direction. Aiming didn't matter- with this volume of attacks, contact was inescapable.

"We've got to do something, or the whole inner courtyard is going to be destroyed!" Amelia shrieked.

"And us along with it!" Zelgadis agreed.

"Destroying courtyards, eh?" Vireas asked, suddenly stopping his attacks. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea! Maybe I'll even try out an infectious Dragon Sla-"

Vireas' voice seemed to catch before he finished his sentence. He staggered back a short distance, and stopped as though he were unable to move. The group stared for a long moment.

"What's he doing?" Zelgadis asked.

"Powering up for a spell, perhaps?" Xellos ventured.

The figure finally managed to stand up straight. Talismans glowing, a weak voice began to stammer a spell.

"_D…d-darkness…_"

"Is he going to cast a Dragon Slave?" Filia gasped.

"No, wait! That… that's not Vireas' voice!" Gourry replied.

Indeed, it wasn't Vireas' voice, and it certainly wasn't a Dragon Slave either. Lina couldn't very well use spells on her own, but she had Vireas sharing a body with her, and she could control him just as he controlled her. If there was once flaw in Vireas' 'perfect plan,' it was the willpower of his host. Any other host would have simply been killed when he took over their bodies. But not Lina. Lina wouldn't let anyone have her body, no matter how strong they were. It took all the strength she had, but if she could just channel Vireas' magic into this one spell, she knew she could defeat him. The only spell she was sure would destroy him once and for all.

"_D-darkness… beyond blackest pitch… de-deeper than the deepest night…"_

Amelia screamed as it became apparent what spell Lina was trying to use. "Wh-what is she trying to do? She's going to destroy us all!"

"Not us. Herself. Can't you tell?" Xellos pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Pokota asked.

"She's channelling the magic into her own body. Basically, she's calling upon the Lord of Nightmares to destroy her specifically.

"WHAT? NO!" Gourry gasped.

"_Lord… of Darkness… who shines like gold… upon the Sea of Chaos…"_

"LINA! WAIT!" Gourry rushed as fast as he could run to her side, grabbing her arms. "What do you think you're doing?"

"_I call… upon thee… swear myself… to thee…"_

"LINA! ANSWER ME!"

Lina's eyes flew open for a brief moment. "Gourry…" she murmured. "I've got to kill Vireas. Nothing else matters. I die, and he dies with me!"

"But Lina, there's got to be some other way-" Gourry protested as he was thrown back. It was already too late. Lina was too far into casting the spell. If she changed her mind or got too distracted now, she'd risk miscasting it and bringing destruction on her friends. And the only one who needed to be destroyed was herself.

"_Let the fools who rest within me be destroyed… BY THE POWER YOU AND I POSSESS! GIGA SLAVE!"_

An enormous explosion of light and darkness surrounded Lina, and her screams, along with those of Vireas could be heard against the blast. Then suddenly there was a flash of light and a flare of sound that knocked everyone to the ground.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, everything was still. The only sound was the pattering of rain on the ground. The group looked up warily, checking their surroundings. In the place where Lina and Vireas had just stood, there was nothing. Everything within a two-foot radius had been completely obliterated.

Finally, finally, Vireas had been destroyed.

And so had Lina.

* * *

(A/N: BUT-BUT-BUT~! This is most certainly not the end!)


	44. 44: All's Well That Ends…

Hello, and Good Day, and all those other greetings that apply here. Yep, this is it. Enjoy the last chapter! And no, I don't own Slayers or anything like that. I'm just a fan having fun writing stories.

* * *

**44- All's Well That Ends…**

"_Let the fools who rest within me be destroyed… BY THE POWER YOU AND I POSSESS! GIGA SLAVE!"_

Lina felt a searing pain shoot through her body. She'd never really wanted to think of what it would feel like to have your body torn apart by chaos magic, but it was always obvious that it wouldn't be pleasant.

Well, that was an understatement.

But suddenly everything seemed to fade away. All the pain subsided and all the noise and magic seemed to dissipate. Lina opened her eyes and found herself in a strange place.

_This couldn't be… _she thought. _…the Sea of Chaos? Is that what happened? Am I dead?_

Suddenly, there was a voice beside her that jarred her from her thoughts.

"Okay! What the heck just happened? Where are we? This place looks familiar! Ginger, did you bring us here?"

Lina turned around to see Vireas- standing beside her, clearly visible in his human form . "Vireas!" she gasped. "I don't know… I just…"

"**It was I who brought you here**." a voice replied. The voice was deep but obviously feminine, and it seemed to echo around the space, even though there did not appear to be any defined walls or boundaries.

Lina's attention turned to the figure who had approached them. It was humanoid in appearance, but very obscure. Long hair and graceful movements, however suggested that it was female. Lina couldn't make out a face, but she felt as though she were being stared down intensely. She backed away slightly. Vireas, however, was not so afraid.

"Goldie! It's been too long! Much too long! What, four thousand years or so? Man! Talk about having some catching up to do! Right? Am I rig-"

"**Silence, Pathosmaster Vireas. You will hold your tongue until given permission to talk. Is that clear**?"

The voice had been calm, but it was spoken with such a stern severity that even Vireas seemed to shrink back a little. He nodded briskly and stepped back beside Lina.

"**You were brought here because you wished it. I was summoned by that girl, in the hopes of destroying Pathosmaster. Thusly, you have been brought before me in the Sea of Chaos. Is this your wish, Lina Inverse Gabriev, to have this Dark Lord completely and utterly destroyed?**" The voice asked, addressing Lina.

The sorceress had trouble finding the words to respond. "I… er… well… you see, all I wanted was for him to leave my family alone. I just wanted them to be able to live in peace without him… _bothering_ them. That's all I really wanted…"

"**Then your wish is not unattainable. I will, if you wish it, remove Pathosmaster Vireas from your world. He is never to set foot in that world again.**"

"SAY WHAT? Hey, don't I get a wish? Don't I get to share my side of the story! Give me a break, would ya?" Vireas protested.

"**You disobey me, Pathosmaster Vireas. Did I not just tell you to hold your tongue until given permission to speak?**"

"Y-you did… but…" Vireas protested.

"**Then be silent. You have behaved atrociously in the past few months. Tricking your own kind into resurrecting you, attempting to take over the world, endangering so many innocent lives with your minions-**"

"But that's my job!" Vireas exclaimed.

"**I said hold your tongue, insolent fool. Or I will be forced to silence you myself.**" the voice shot back. Lina was astounded by Vireas' actions. She'd never thought that anyone, not even a powerful Dark Lord would ever have the audacity to interrupt the Lord of Nightmares!

"**You job, Pathosmaster Vireas, was to control the suffering of the living creatures of this world. **_**Not **_**to take over this world by attempting to usurp the authority of your superiors. You are guilty of insubordination on many levels.**"

"Okay, so maybe I did go a little bit overboard… so what? It's not like anyone could have stopped me!" Vireas huffed.

"**This human stopped you. As I will stop you.**" the figure replied as she grabbed Vireas by the collar of his shirt. Lina hadn't thought that the materialisation of the Lord of Nightmares looked very solid, but it was obvious that she was.

Vireas squirmed in an attempt to get out of the omnipotent being's grip. "Y-you're not going to destroy me, are you, Goldie?"

"**I wouldn't be so kind. Not after all the trouble you have caused. I doubt that simple destruction would be punishment enough to satisfy those you have troubled so greatly. Wouldn't you agree?**" she replied, directing her last question at Lina.

"Uh… to tell the truth, I don't really care what you do with him, as long as you keep him away from Gourry and Zara, and all my other friends too." Lina admitted. "That's what I died for, isn't it?"

"**Yes. Of course.**" the figure nodded. "**Now then… what shall I do with you? Hmm… I think you might make a terribly amusing pet, Vireas. Yes, yes, a nice pet for sure. I'm going to be keeping a close eye on you from now on. You won't be returning to the world you came from ever again, and I doubt that you'll be leaving the Sea of Chaos anytime soon. I'll have to keep you on a very tight leash, just like a little dog. Won't that be nice? Pathosmaster Vireas, my very own little dog~."**

Lina was surprised at the wistfulness in the Lord of Nightmare's voice as she spoke, and it seemed to horrify Vireas. "Y-you're not serious!" he exclaimed.

"**I am actually quite serious, Pathosmaster. Now be a good little boy and go away. I must speak to this human alone. Perhaps if you're an especially good boy I'll give you a treat and take you on a walk later. But farewell for the moment.**" She tossed Vireas aside, where he was engulfed by the spinning chaos that surrounded him.

"N-no! Wait! Stop! Come on! I don't wanna be a dog~!"

And with that, Pathosmaster Vireas disappeared into another realm of chaos, and out of Lina's life forever.

Lina stared for a moment. "I… I've heard better final words."

To Lina's surprise, the figure beside her actually laughed. "**As have I.**" she agreed.

There was an awkward silence as Lina tried to think of what to say. Nothing in particular came to mind, since she had no idea what was going to happen to her now. She twirled her fingers as she finally continued. "Uh… am… am I dead?"

"**Yes.**" The Lord of Nightmares replied simply.

"Oh…" Lina murmured. "Well then… uh…"

"**However…**" the golden figure continued, walking close to Lina and staring down at her. "**I am curious. Tell me, human, what would you do if you were to return to the world of the living?**"

"Y-you mean as a ghost?" Lina asked curiously.

"**No. If you were to return to life as you knew it, I want to know what you would do. Would you change anything?**"

"If I were… to go back to normal… I guess…" Lina murmured, thinking it over wistfully. "Well, I don't think I'd change much… I was really happy, the way things were. I'd stay with Gourry and Zara- try to take care of my family like before… especially if there'd be another little one to take care of…"

"**There would be.**" the figure responded.

Lina flushed slightly, smiling with happiness at the thought. "That'd be nice. I'm sure it would make Gourry and Zara very happy… me too, I suppose… And I'd probably still raid bandit camps and search for treasure and everything… I mean, I'd focus on my job, for sure, but there's still so much fun to be had…" she stopped for a second, realising that she might be rambling. "S-sorry if I said the wrong thing, it's just… I… uh…"

"**You gave a very good answer human. I am satisfied with it. Though it wouldn't matter whether or not you did give a good answer…**"

Lina sighed sadly. Of course it wouldn't matter. She scolded herself for being foolish enough to get her hopes up.

"…**since you would have to return, regardless.**"

Lina stiffened. "E-excuse me? What was that? Are you serious?"

"**I am very serious. You are a significant force in the world, having saved it from certain destruction several times over. A creature- even a human- with your power cannot die until it is their fated time. And as much as his over-inflated ego would like to tell him so, Vireas is not fate. He never will be. Thus, you cannot stay here in the Sea of Chaos. You must return to your world, as you were before Vireas took control of your body.**"

"You… you're serious? I get to go back? I get to see Gourry and everybody again?" Lina gasped, her heart racing.

"**Yes. However, you will be expected to take action, should any other large occurrences take place in your world. You and your family.**" The Lord of Nightmares paused for a second. "**That's another reason I must send you back. For Vireas to take one life that is so influential is a horrible thing. For him to take **_**two, **_**one of which has yet to even leave their mark on the world, is too much. No, you must return. It would be disastrous if you didn't.**"

"Of course I'll help the world if it's in danger!" Lina replied. "I mean, things do kind of get boring if you don't have to save the world every couple of years or so! I've kind of gotten used to it by now! Though… I don't exactly want to die again…"

"**That, Lina Inverse Gabriev, is left up to fate.**" The Lord of Nightmares assured her. "**However, when that time comes, there is no arguing with it. It could be sooner than you wish.**"

"Hey, it's more time than I would have gotten if I'd died now! Right? So I'll enjoy it for all its worth!" Lina laughed. She suddenly felt as though she were being disrespectful, and straightened up. "Erm… I mean… uh… thank you."

"**You can show your appreciation by returning to your world and doing as you have been told- keep on with your life as you described, and save the world, if need be. That is what is asked of you.**"

Lina smiled. "R-right."

"**Oh, and before I send you back, I have one final request, which I hope you will agree to.**" the golden figure said.

"Of course! Anything!" Lina replied hastily.

"**That child you're carrying…**" the figure began.

"Wh-what about it…?" Lina stammered nervously, putting her arms around her stomach, already feeling protective of the child she hadn't known existed just two days before.

"…**if it is a boy, name it 'Enrico' for me.**"

Lina practically fell over in shock.

"E-excuse me?"

"**You heard me correctly. That is my request.**" the Lord of Nightmares said seriously.

"Y-yeah! I mean, I don't mind… of course I'll do that… but, uh… could I ask why?" Lina stuttered.

The golden figure's answer was short, but to the point. "**Omnipotence is boring.**" she stated curtly. "**I must find **_**some **_**form of amusement. And though I'll have a new dog to play with, you and your friends provide a most wonderful form of entertainment.**" Lina could almost feel a smile on the Golden Lord's obscure face. "_**That **_**is my selfish reason for sending you back.**"

Lina smiled. "Of course! I really don't mind at all!"

* * *

"She did it. She really did it. I can't believe it…" Zelgadis murmured.

"M-Miss Lina…" Amelia sobbed, clutching Zelgadis' cloak sadly.

"Well, she did it to save all of us. It wasn't the most favourable of circumstances, but Miss Lina helped so many people through what she did." Xellos commented.

"She also broke some people's hearts." Filia pointed out. The dragon almost couldn't bear the sight of Gourry and Zara, the swordsman holding the little boy close as he cried relentlessly on his father's shoulder. It was rather obvious that Gourry was taking advantage of the fact that his hair hid most of his face, as his expression was impossible to see.

"Well… I guess… she had to do it… I mean… it was… to save the whole world…" Gourry choked.

"No. Not the whole world." Xellos said. Everyone turned to look at him in confusion. Xellos quickly explained. "You see, the world is a concept too infinitely large for a mere human to grasp. The only way to really understand it is to think of it in terms of what matters most to a person. In other words, Lina wasn't doing it really to save the whole world, but to save _her_ world."

"Her world?" Amelia asked.

"Yes. That would be all of you- especially Gourry and little Zara. She wasn't thinking of the whole world when doing something as drastic as giving up her very life. She was thinking of _you_. And up to the last minute, she wanted to do her very best to save you. All of you." Xellos said seriously.

"Oh Xellos!" Filia cried, grabbing him tightly and crying into his shoulder. The monster knew better than to do anything to upset Filia even more. Though he was feeling physically strengthened from all the emotions floating around, there was even a slight bit of heartache for him at the situation.

"It seems I do have a heart…" he murmured quietly. "Despite Miss Lina's insistence otherwise. Oh, how I'm going to miss that annoying human…"

"Geez, Lina! Now who am I going to fight with over Zara's affections?" Lorelei sighed dejectedly. "I always thought that you'd be the most chaotic mother-in-law any monster ever had… probably the only one too, but still, worthy of the title…"

"Even monsters are sad to see this happen." Amelia commented through tears. "That shows that Miss Lina must have really been a good person."

"Or a really bad one..." Xellos added. "In any case, don't we need to inform everyone of what has happened?"

"Y-yes… I suppose you're right…" Amelia choked.

"King Phil needs to know." Zelgadis nodded solemnly.

"Then we should go back inside, I suppose…" Filia agreed, her voice trailing off. "Erm… Mi… Mister Gourry…? Are you going to…?"

"You guys… go on ahead. Zara and I… uh… we'll catch up to you." Gourry responded, his face still obscured by his hair.

"R-right… okay… Well then… we'll see you…" Filia murmured, walking away. She felt bad about leaving them, yet somehow it felt good to give them space. Everything had happened so suddenly, it seemed unreal… and yet…

Gourry and Zara stayed where they were for a few moments, as Gourry attempted to comfort the inconsolable child. He'd dealt with grief before when he was younger, but comforting someone when you are feeling the same way yourself is a hard task. As Zara's sobs slowly subsided, Gourry placed the child back down, allowing him to stand on his own. He wiped one last tear off the boy's face, trying to offer him a smile- though it was a weak one, at best.

"You remember… how Lina always used to tell you not to cry? She wouldn't want you to cry now, would she? Come on…"

It was a reasonable attempt, but it sent Zara scrambling back into Gourry's arms, crying again.

The swordsman felt a small bit of defeat at being unable to stop the child's crying, but he decided to himself that the grief was well warranted, and perhaps he was the one at fault for not crying- he was still too shocked to really shed any tears at the moment.

That was when Gourry noticed something. Just out of the corner of his eye, assumed perhaps to be imagined, it was the smallest flicker of light. He let go of Zara for a moment, motioning for him to stay where he was.

Gourry approached the spot where Lina's spell had left an unmistakable mark on the ground- everything obliterated in that one spot. He couldn't have seen a flash of light here, could he? Yet, all of a sudden, there it was again! But this time brighter- and it looked… like a person!

He ran forward and grabbed the figure in his arms. Gourry should have been wary of possible dangers- it could have been some sort of after-effects of Lina's spell, or maybe some sort of trap. But he didn't care. All he could think was that whoever it was, it looked a whole lot like Lina.

Just as soon as it had appeared, the light vanished, and Gourry was left with simply the unconscious figure of the red-headed girl. He stared for a long moment in total confusion, not sure what had happened. One minute he'd been alone with Zara, the next he was chasing after some strange light and here was Lina, in his arms.

W-wait, _what_?

"L-Lina?" Gourry stammered, shaking her shoulder gently. Maybe she wouldn't wake up at all- that was what he expected. After all, he shouldn't get his hopes up too high. But still, how in the world could her body have survived the Giga Slave in the first place?

Lina slowly managed to open her eyes, staring in incredulity at Gourry- who was looking at her with a very similar bewilderment. "G-Gourry?" she gasped.

"Lina?" he repeated.

Lina looked around for a moment, taking notice of where they were, what time it might be, and the fact that it was still raining. She realised that she was pretty wet from the rain. Though not nearly as much as Gourry, who was wet, muddy, and looked pretty worn out.

"You know…" she murmured. "We should probably get out of this rain. We must look like such a mess."

"LINA!" Gourry grabbed her tightly and hugged her close, refusing to let go. Lina laughed, not minding the treatment at all.

"Haha~ Wow, I can't believe this! She was serious after all!" Lina exclaimed.

"S-serious?" Gourry stammered. "Who? What? _How?_"

Lina smiled. "The… the person I met… she sent me back. Told me that Vireas was an idiot and I was never supposed to die. And she promised that Vireas would never come to our world again! I'm so glad! I was so afraid I would never see you again!"

"_You, _afraid that you'd never see _us _again? Lina!" Gourry replied. "How the heck do you think _we _felt?" He bent down and kissed her so forcefully that Lina nearly fell over. Normally she'd mind, but this time she'd let him get away with it.

Breaking away from Gourry, Lina twirled around him and waved toward Zara, who was watching the entire scene in complete disbelief. "Zara!" Lina called. "Hey! Come here!"

Deciding that she might not be a hallucination after all (or if she was, he at least wanted to take advantage of it), Zara rushed to her side. Lina picked him up and pulled him into a big hug. "Oh Zara~ I missed you so much! Granted, it was only for about fifteen minutes, but when you think you're never going to see someone again, you can miss them an awful lot!"

"Lina~" Zara sobbed, unable to keep from crying hysterically into her shoulder. Gourry wrapped his arms around both of them, and they stayed in a tight hug for a long moment.

"My goodness, what a day." Gourry finally said.

"You're not kidding!" Lina exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what it'll be like to wake up tomorrow and not have to worry about some crazy Dark Lord and his stupid diseases?"

Gourry smiled brightly. "Yeah! And we won't have to worry about being sick either! Now you and I can share breakfast together, just like before! Isn't that great?"

Lina paused for a moment. "Erm… yeah… about that…"

"Something wrong, Lina?" Gourry asked.

"Oh, I'll tell you later! Where did Amelia, Zel, and Pokota run off to?"Lina replied, quickly changing the subject. She wasn't exactly sure she wanted to talk about that just yet.

"They went inside… oh! We've got to find them right away and let them know that you're alive! They'll be so relieved!" Gourry exclaimed, grabbing Lina's hand and dragging her with him.

* * *

The mood in one of the palaces' smaller gathering halls was much, much less cheerful. Amelia sat with her head rested morosely against Zelgadis' shoulder, and Pokota on top of her head. Filia sat, trying to console herself by cuddling with both Val's egg and Lorelei, who didn't particularly mind sitting with the dragon. Phil had already made several speeches on how it could be impossible for such a tragic fate to befall Lina- though Amelia and the others insisted that it was true.

"How unfortunate," Xellos commented. "that her body was destroyed by the Giga Slave, so we can't give her a proper burial."

"XELLOS! DON'T START PLANNING MY FUNERAL BEFORE I'M DEAD!" Xellos was suddenly grabbed by an angry sorceress who put him in a headlock. "Seriously, you guys! Could you have a bit more respect?"

Everyone shot up suddenly, staring in total shock. "N-no way! Miss Lina!" Amelia gasped.

"Lina?" Zelgadis exclaimed. "It can't be!"

"Impossible!" Xellos choked.

"I know! I thought it was impossible too! But it can't be all that impossible, since I'm here now, right?" Lina laughed. "So, anyway, uh… yeah! All's well that ends well, right?"

"MISS LINA, HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT SO CASUALLY?" Amelia yelled, grabbing Lina by her shoulders. "We were all worried sick! We fought Vireas, and were so afraid because we didn't want to hurt you! But then you went and cast the Giga Slave and we thought you _died_!"

"I did." Lina shrugged. "But then… I uh… came back…?"

"That's a flimsy excuse!" Pokota yelled, joining Amelia. "So you just… came back? Impossible!"

"For me, yeah. But for… uh… the Lord of Nightmares, it's not so much. She just sent me back." Lina laughed. "Right. So…"

"The Lord of Nightmares?" Filia gasped.

"I'm having trouble following this!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"I don't get it either!" Gourry offered. "But honestly, I'm not really complaining."

"I just want to know what happened!" Filia said.

Lina sighed. "Here, sit down. I'll explain everything. Just let go of me, alright?"

"Oh Miss Lina!" Amelia exclaimed, hugging her tightly. Filia joined in as well. Phil couldn't help but join the girls in a giant group hug which had Lina yelling for everyone to let go of her and give her some room to breathe, or she'd end up dying again.

Pokota took a place on Lina's head, laughing about how she always like to scare them, Xellos and Lorelei teased her in a good-natured fashion, and even Zelgadis had a small hug for her, telling her to try to stay out of trouble for a while. Lina laughed and said cryptically that she'd have no choice but to stay out of trouble for a while anyway.

* * *

Lina told the whole story in-detail of what happened between her, Vireas, and the Lord of Nightmares. (Well, minus a few details that she obviously preferred to keep to herself for the moment.) Everyone was fascinated by the tale, whether they believed it or not.

Xellos and Lorelei left to make a report to Beastmaster and Elmyria. Before they left, however, Lina managed to catch them. "Hey Xellos!" she yelled. "Do you remember, way back in December, when you asked me to take care of Lorelei?"

"Yes." Xellos replied. "What of it?"

"You said you'd pay me back if you returned."

"E-excuse me? You're not seriously asking for this, are you?" Xellos gasped.

"You gave me your word. Now how exactly are you going to pay me back for this?" Lina continued.

"Uh… er… well… that's a secret! For now!" Xellos replied, grabbing Lorelei and leaving. Lina laughed, watching them go and just shrugged. She'd see Xellos again eventually, and she'd be able to get paid sometime. She wasn't going to let Xellos forget about it, that's for sure.

Filia planned to leave with Milgasia in the morning to accompany him back to Dragon's Peak. And as much as Amelia and Zelgadis wanted him to stay, Pokota arranged for transportation back to Taforashia in the morning. He needed to make sure that the diseases were completely dissipating like they should, and couldn't stay away from his country. Of course, he promised to write as often as possible. And Lina, Gourry, and Zara walked back to the room Lina and Gourry had been staying in- allowing Zara to be their guest for the night, since it was a not-so-special occasion.

"I've got to admit," Gourry commented as they walked. "I was pretty scared there when it was just Zara and me. I didn't know what in the world we were going to do, just the two of us. But everything turned out alright in the end. We're back to a family of three now, right?"

"Right!" Zara nodded happily.

"Three…" Lina murmured thoughtfully. She took a deep breath and continued. "Uh… correction- _four_."

Gourry and Zara stopped and turned around. "Huh? What?"

Lina flushed slightly. "I said four. As in… a family of four."

Lina's two companions gave each other a stare. Lina suddenly got nervous, wondering how they'd react. It was one thing to talk about something of this nature, but to actually be put in the situation…

"Oh! Of course!" Gourry pounded his fist into his palm with a look of inspiration. "Riko! How could we have forgotten?"

"Right!" Zara agreed happily. "Riko-chan may be a cat… monster… thing… but she's family too!"

"Thanks for reminding us, Lina! You're absolutely right!" Gourry said.

Lina stared at them for a moment, her eye twitching, and then fell flat on her face.

"L-Lina? You okay?" Zara gasped.

"I'm surrounded by_ idiots_!" Lina yelled. She got up and walked back toward their room quickly, leaving a puzzled Zara and Gourry behind.

"Hey, Lina! Wait up! Are we idiots because we forgot about our own pet cat?" Gourry asked sheepishly.

"No." Lina laughed, shaking her head. "You're idiots for thinking I was referring to that stupid cat in the first place. You know she's not family to me."

And with that, Lina took off down the hallway with a mischievous smile, leaving Gourry and Zara to fill in the blanks. The two stood, looking very puzzled, until realisation of Lina's implications slowly dawned on them. They took off running after her.

"W-wait! Lina! Hey! WAIT!"

And thus, this story ends the same way any other story with the Slayers ends- with a very happy conclusion, but also with the promise of new adventures, just beyond the horizon. New adventures that could prove difficult, and perhaps would try the patience and strength of those who face them, but adventures nonetheless.

Because, without having adventures all the time, things would get pretty boring, wouldn't they?

And for those interested, L-sama is having a wonderful time with her new "dog."

**~The End~**

* * *

(A/N: Yes, yes- the end! The longest thing I've ever written in my life, and finally the end! For those who've actually read this far… gosh, you guys are amazing, humouring me with my long stories. I'm amazed at how attached I've grown to this story, and am wondering how I'll get on without it. Haha… In any case, thanks a bunch to everyone just for taking the time and reading this! It's so appreciated… And, uh… the end, I guess!)


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